Increased functional magnetic resonance imaging activity during nonconscious perception in the attentional blink
Kimron L. Shapiroa b✉, Stephen J. Johnstonb, Werner Vogelsb, Arshad Zamanc, Neil Robertsd e
- aSchool of Psychology, University of Wales, Bangor, Gwynedd, UK. k.shapiro@bangor.ac.uk
- bSchool of Psychology, University of Wales, Bangor
- cWalton Centre of Neurology and Neurosurgery (WCNN)
- dMagnetic Resonance and Image Analysis Research Centre (MARIARC), University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
- eSponsorship: This research was supported by a project grant (071944) from the Wellcome Trust to Kimron Shapiro and Neil Roberts
- ✉Corresponding author
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Abstract
Presenting two targets for identification within a few hundred milliseconds reliably yields reduced performance on the second relative to the first. This attentional blink phenomenon has been extensively studied behaviourally but, until recently, has eluded direct investigation by functional magnetic resonance imaging. The few published imaging studies agree that the attentional blink recruits a fronto-temporo-parietal 'attentional' network. What remains controversial is the specific role played by the 'object processing' ventro-occipital regions of the brain. Two studies used different tasks and stimulus onset asynchronies leaving the cause for this divergence unknown. The present study resolves this discrepancy by examining the different methodologies. Our results suggest that task difficulty and masking must be factored in to any conclusions drawn about the brain activity during the attentional blink paradigm.
TL;DRThe results suggest that task difficulty and masking must be factored in to any conclusions drawn about the brain activity during the attentional blink paradigm. (Semantic Scholar)