Abstract
BackgroundAttention is restricted for the second of two targets when it is presented within 200–500 ms of the first target. This attentional blink (AB) phenomenon allows one to study the dynamics of temporal selective attention by varying the interval between the two targets (T1 and T2). Whereas the AB has long been considered as a robust and universal cognitive limitation, several studies have demonstrated that AB task performance greatly differs between individuals, with some individuals showing no AB whatsoever.Methodology/Principal FindingsHere, we studied these individual differences in AB task performance in relation to differences in attentional timing. Furthermore, we investigated whether AB magnitude is predictive for the amount of attention allocated to T1. For both these purposes pupil dilation was measured, and analyzed with our recently developed deconvolution method. We found that the dynamics of temporal attention in small versus large blinkers differ in a number of ways. Individuals with a relatively small AB magnitude seem better able to preserve temporal order information. In addition, they are quicker to allocate attention to both T1 and T2 than large blinkers. Although a popular explanation of the AB is that it is caused by an unnecessary overinvestment of attention allocated to T1, a more complex picture emerged from our data, suggesting that this may depend on whether one is a small or a large blinker.ConclusionThe use of pupil dilation deconvolution seems to be a powerful approach to study the temporal dynamics of attention, bringing us a step closer to understanding the elusive nature of the AB. We conclude that the timing of attention to targets may be more important than the amount of allocated attention in accounting for individual differences.
Highlights
Human beings can extract the gist of a visual scene within a fraction of a second, they can be relatively slow to select sequentially presented relevant information from a rapid stream of irrelevant information
The use of pupil dilation deconvolution seems to be a powerful approach to study the temporal dynamics of attention, bringing us a step closer to understanding the elusive nature of the attentional blink (AB)
We conclude that the timing of attention to targets may be more important than the amount of allocated attention in accounting for individual differences
Summary
Human beings can extract the gist of a visual scene within a fraction of a second, they can be relatively slow to select sequentially presented relevant information from a rapid stream of irrelevant information. Attention to relevant information is restricted for the second of two targets when it is presented within 200–500 ms of the first target This phenomenon, known as the attentional blink (AB; [1]), allows one to study the dynamics of temporal selective attention by systematically varying the interval between the two targets (T1 and T2). To shed light on this underlying mechanism of the AB, one can study the origin of individual differences in AB task performance; the AB was initially considered to reflect a universal, fundamental attentional restriction, large differences in individual AB task performance have been revealed over the past years [7,8,9,10,11,12,13]. Whereas the AB has long been considered as a robust and universal cognitive limitation, several studies have demonstrated that AB task performance greatly differs between individuals, with some individuals showing no AB whatsoever.
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