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12 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Objective
Cite evidence that attention pertains more to enhancing relevant activity than inhibiting irrelevant activity. |
The auditory cortex shows more activity when attending to a sound in the presence of a distraction than in a condition when no distraction is present. That is, while attending to a sound in the presence of a distraction, the brain increases its response.
In some studies of visual attention, people look at faces with names superimposed. On half of the trials, the participants are instructed to attend to the face; on the other half, they are asked to attend to the written name. In either case, the instruction is to indicate whether the person is a politician or an actor. Researchers have used fMRI to record activity of the fusiform gyrus (which responds strongly to faces). On trials when viewers are attending to the face and the name is irrelevant, the fusiform gyrus responds to the face more strongly when the name is incongruent—such as a politician’s face and an actor’s name. That is, the fusiform gyrus enhances its response to a relevant, attended face in the presence of a distraction. However, when viewers are attending to a printed name, the fusiform gyrus responds to the face equally, regardless of whether it is congruent or incongruent with the name. The fusiform gyrus does not inhibit its response to irrelevant, unattended information. This result suggests that attention pertains more to enhancing relevant activity than inhibiting irrelevant activity. |
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Objective
Describe the symptoms of spatial neglect. |
People with damage to parts of the right hemisphere show a more widespread spatial neglect—a tendency to ignore the left side of the body and its surroundings or the left side of objects (damage in the left hemisphere does not produce much neglect of the right side). They also generally ignore much of what they hear in the left ear and feel in the left hand, especially if they simultaneously feel something in the right hand. They may put clothes on only the right side of the body. If a patient with neglect is shown a long horizontal line and asked to divide it in half, generally the person picks a spot toward the right side of the line, as if part of the left side was not there. Basically, the exact location of the damage within the right hemisphere varies, as do the details of what the person neglects. People with damage to the inferior part of the right parietal cortex tend to neglect everything to the left of their own body. People with damage to the superior temporal cortex neglect the left side of objects, regardless of their location.
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Objective
Cite evidence that spatial neglect is a problem of attention and not sensation. |
One patient was shown a letter E, composed of small H’s. She identified it as a big E composed of small H’s, indicating the she saw the whole figure. However, when she was then asked to cross out of all the H’s, she crossed off only the ones on the right. Although she could see the entire E, she could only pay attention to half of it when doing a simple spatial task. Essentially, she saw the forest but only half the trees.
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Objective
Identify ways of increasing attention to the neglected side. |
Several procedures can increase attention to the neglected side. First, simply telling the person to pay attention to the left side helps temporarily. So does having the person look left while at the same time feeling an object with the left hand or hearing a sound from the left side of the world. If the person crosses one hand over the other, then s/he is more likely to report feeling the left hand, which is now on the right side of the body. Also, a person who ordinarily has trouble pointing to anything in the left visual field has somewhat better success if the hand is so far to the left that s/he would have to move it to the right to point to the object. Again, the conclusion is that neglect is not due to a loss of sensation but a difficulty in directing attention to the left side.
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Objective
Name three tasks on which people with ADHD differ from other people. |
1. The Choice Delay Task
2. The Stop Signal Task 3. The Attentional Blink Task See study guide. |
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Objective
List two ways that the brains of ADHD people differ from those of others. |
1. On average, people with ADHD have brain volume about 95% of normal, with a smaller than average right prefrontal cortex.
2. The cerebellum also tends to be a bit smaller than usual in people with ADHD; cerebellar dysfunction is known to be associated with problems in the ability to switch attention from one object to another. |
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Objective
Discuss the common treatments of ADHD. |
The most common treatment for ADHD is a stimulant drug such as methylphenidate (Ritalin) or ampethamine (Adderrall). Stimulant drugs increase attentiveness, improve school performance and social relationships, and decrease impulsiveness. They also improve scores on lab tests, including the stop signal task. Amphetamine and methylphenidate increase the availability of dopamine to the postsynaptic receptors.
Many behavioral techniques are available as supplements or substitutes for stimulant drugs. Much of the advice given to people with ADHD is not surprising: 1. Reduce distractions. 2. Use lists, calendars, schedules, and so forth to organize your time. 3. Practice strategies to pace yourself. 4. Learn to relax. (Tension and stress can magnify attention deficits.) |
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spatial neglect
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Tendency to ignore the left side of the body and its surroundings
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attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
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Condition marked by excesses of impulsiveness, activity, and shifts of attention
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choice delay task
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Activity in which people can choose between a reward now and slightly larger one later
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stop signal task
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Activity in which people are asked to respond to a stimulus as quickly as possible, unless another signal tells them to inhibit the response
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attentional blink task
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Activity in which people attend to 2 kinds of stimuli and often ignore one kind that occurs within a short delay after the other one
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