Attentional Shift
Attentional Shift - Related Videos
09:15
The Attentional Set Shifting Task: A Measure of Cognitive Flexibility in Mice
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Cited by 82 •
2015
The goal of this protocol is to perform a behavioral assay such as the attentional set shifting task (AST) to assess prefrontal cortex-mediated cognitive flexibility in mice.
08:52
The Attentional Blink
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2023
Source: Laboratory of Jonathan Flombaum—Johns Hopkins University In order for recognition of a certain stimulus to take place, visual attention needs to be directed towards said stimulus. To the earliest parts of the visual system, objects are not objects, they are collections of visual features-lines, corners, changes in texture, color, and light. Attention is the resource that is necessary for later processing in order to recognize what a given bundle of features adds up to. This makes...
09:59
Visual Attention: fMRI Investigation of Object-based Attentional Control
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2023
Source: Laboratories of Jonas T. Kaplan and Sarah I. Gimbel— University of Southern California The human visual system is incredibly sophisticated and capable of processing large amounts of information very quickly. However, the brain's capacity to process information is not an unlimited resource. Attention, the ability to selectively process information that is relevant to current goals and to ignore information that is not, is therefore an essential part of visual perception. Some aspects of...
09:37
Measurement of Neurophysiological Signals of Ignoring and Attending Processes in Attention Control
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Cited by 5 •
2015
Attention control comprises enhancement of target signals and attenuation of distractor signals. We describe an approach to measure separately but concurrently, the neurophysiology of attending and ignoring in sustained intermodal attention, utilizing a passive control condition during which neither process is continuously engaged.
09:45
New Variations for Strategy Set-shifting in the Rat
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Cited by 3 •
2017
Set-shifting, a form of behavioral flexibility, requires an attentional shift from one stimulus dimension to another. We extended an established rodent set-shifting task1 by requiring attention to different stimuli according to context. The task was combined with specific lesions to identify neuron subtypes underlying a successful shift.
FAQs
Behavioral studies distinguish voluntary shifts, which follow a decision to switch tasks, from involuntary orienting, which can follow a sudden sound. This comparison separates attention redirected through deliberate control from attention captured by an environmental event. It also shows how different triggers can support behavioral adaptation when demands change.
Redirecting attention changes which sensory inputs receive greater processing priority. Consequently, the organism can emphasize information relevant to a new task or cue while reducing the relative priority of what was previously attended. This mechanism links attentional shift to adaptive behavior, because changing priorities helps behavior respond to changing demands.
In task switching, an attentional shift is examined as part of moving focus from one task to another; in distraction, the focus is redirected by competing information. These contexts address different behavioral questions. Together, they show how attention can be studied in relation to voluntary control, environmental interference, and observable performance.
Researchers can assess attentional shift by recording how quickly and accurately attention moves after a change in task, stimulus, or information source. Speed indicates the time needed to redirect focus, whereas accuracy indicates whether the new target receives effective processing. Comparing these outcomes can reveal differences in cognitive flexibility.
Learning and decision-making are important contexts because both require behavior to respond to relevant information as circumstances change. Studying attentional shift in these contexts helps researchers examine whether focus is redirected toward a new task, cue, or information source. Measured speed and accuracy can clarify how attention contributes to these observable behaviors.
A sudden sound can provide a clear example of an involuntary trigger for attentional shift. In behavioral research, such an environmental cue allows investigators to examine how attention is redirected without an explicit decision to switch tasks. The resulting changes in processing priority can then be related to adaptive responses and observable behavior.