Abstract
The attentional blink (AB) paradigm is widely used to study visual temporal attention. An important feature of the standard AB paradigm is repetitive visual stimulation, more precisely the rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) of numerous distracters interspersed with two targets. The RSVP stream is likely to result in entrainment of visual cortex, which has been suggested to negatively affect target identification in the AB paradigm. The present EEG study tested this idea with an inter-individual differences approach. AB task performance and measures of entrainment were derived from 51 participants. Other than predicted, moderate positive correlations were observed for inter-trial coherence and performance, but only for targets not immediately preceded by other targets. A positive correlation with power was evident for targets presented in the critical AB time window. In a second step, it was tested whether the distance between individual alpha frequency and RSVP frequency mediated correlations with inter-trial coherence, as entrainment of the visual cortex through repetitive visual stimulation is particularly effective when the frequency of the stimulation matches the individual alpha frequency. However, no evidence was found supporting such link. While compatible with a number of findings related to the AB and to visual entrainment, the findings of the present study do not provide evidence for the notion that entrainment to the RSVP stream creates a neural environment unfavourable for detecting targets an RSVP stream.
Highlights
In many situations are we faced with quickly incoming information, an obvious example is driving a car
Correlations with inter-trial coherence (ITC) were restricted to T1 and to T2 lag 7 identification rates
An additional positive correlation was observed for ERP power and T2 lag 2 identification rate
Summary
In many situations are we faced with quickly incoming information, an obvious example is driving a car. That we are likely to miss a considerable amount of this information becomes evident in the more controlled situation in which two visual target stimuli are presented in close succession and in the context of a rapid sequence of visual distracters, and where the second target is frequently missed when presented within 200 to 500 ms of the first target [1,2]. Dual-target RSVP task performance and entrainment visual presentation (RSVP) distracter stream is not essential for observing the AB, the importance of this stream of non-targets is evident in the finding that it amplifies the AB [4,5,6].
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.