Spontaneous attentional performance lapses during the auditory condensation task: An ERP study.

Abstract

The causal mechanisms of spontaneous attentional performance lapses in alert nonclinical individuals during purposeful responses to complex stimuli remain largely unknown. Current evidence suggests that the forced redirection of attention can modulate preattentive stages of auditory processing. We propose a hypothesis that similar mechanisms may be responsible for spontaneous attentional lapses. To address this issue, the auditory condensation task was used. Four target auditory stimuli that differed in 2 independent features were presented randomly with equal probability. Participants were instructed to respond to each stimulus by pressing 1 of 2 buttons according to a rule based on stimulus feature conjunction. Participants made errors in 10.2% Ϯ .7% of the trials and response omissions in 5.4% Ϯ .5% of the trials. The P2 amplitude was greater in trials with errors compared with correct responses, possibly reflecting a reduction of stimulus processing. Spontaneous attentional performance lapses may be tentatively explained by the inadequate distribution of attentional resources caused by competition with other mental processes, such as mind-wandering. This competition is likely to occasionally subdue early preattentional stages of stimulus processing and thus cause behavioral errors.

Condensation Task as an Experimental Model for Studying Individual Differences in Cognitive Control

“…There may yet be a complementary explanation for the error slowing observed in the current study. The current task did not overtly require a prepotent response to be inhibited [Chernyshev et al, 2015], and the instruction given to participants in the current study (unlike many other studies in this field) did not persuade them to respond as quickly as possible. Thus, it is likely that under conditions of uncertainty -when both motor programs are far from reaching the motor threshold -an additional adaptive increase of motor threshold may develop, leading to an even greater delay in erroneous responding [van Driel et al, 2012].…”

“…Experimental design and procedure An auditory two-choice version of the condensation task was used [Chernyshev et al, 2015]. The experiment involved six experimental blocks.…”

“…Here we used the condensation task [Posner, 1964], which requires a high level of cognitive control [Chernyshev et al, 2015]. Unlike many other tasks used in cognitive control studies, the condensation task does not involve any overt need to inhibit automatic responses, and it is based on series of target trials that are relatively homogenous and do not differ in the level of conflict 4 (unlike the Stroop task, the Simon task and the flanker task) or in the level of "targetness" (unlike the oddball task and the sustained-attention-to-response tasks).…”

Влияние Состояния «ухода В Свои Мысли» На Выполнение Слуховой Конденсационной Задачи: Поведенческий Анализ В Рамках Парадигмы Когнитивного Контроля

“…Наиболее изученным эффектом усиления когнитивного контроля под влиянием детекции ошибок является адаптивное замедление времени реакции на стимулы, следующие за ошибками (Botvinick et al, 2001). В зависимости от характера задачи время совершения ошибок может как снижаться, так и увеличиваться по сравнению с временем правильных ответов (Chernyshev et al, 2015). Ускорение времени правильных ответов, предшествующих ошибочным, является одним из проявлений ослабления когнитивного контроля (Botvinick et al, 2001;van Driel et al, 2012).…”

Adaptações do cérebro durante uma tarefa de longa duração: Um estudo de Potencial Relacionado a Evento.

“…Ambientes contemporâneos caracterizados pelo ritmo acelerado da rotina de trabalho submetem grande parte da população a uma complexa demanda cognitiva por longos períodos de tempo (Murata, Uetake, & Takasawa, 2005;Park, Kim, Chung, & Hisanaga, 2001). Essa rotina é repleta de estímulos concorrentes à nossa capacidade de processamento perceptivo, exigindo uma rápida adaptação da seleção de informações relevantes para se obter um bom desempenho nas atividades (Benikos, Johnstone, & Roodenrys, 2013;Chernyshev, Lazarev, Bryzgalov, & Novikov, 2015).…”