The role of selective attention in the Gratton effect

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event The role of selective attention in the Gratton effect Klaas Bombeke1*, Wout Duthoo1, Hanne Schevernels1, Wim Notebaert1 and Nico Boehler1 1 Universiteit Gent, Belgium Cognitive control is the ability to adjust our information processing system in order to optimize future action outcomes. An often studied phenomenon in cognitive control research is the Gratton effect or the finding that congruency effects are smaller after incongruent trials. Most researchers agree that this adaptation effect can be explained by a conflict-induced transient increase in selective attention, reducing the amount of conflict in the next trial. When interested in the temporal characteristics of this underlying attentional process, it is important to have a paradigm discriminating between the enhancement of task-relevant information and the suppression of task-irrelevant information. To this end, we performed a series of EEG experiments using cognitive control tasks like the Stroop and the Flanker task, in which the irrelevant stimulus information was presented either before, at the same time, or after the presentation of the relevant information. Different experiments manipulated whether the irrelevant information was temporally or spatially predictable, hence allowing to a different degree for strategically tuning attention after experiencing conflict. The results suggest that such modulations can take place but that they are more pronounced under conditions in which the irrelevant information occurs in a temporally or spatially predictable fashion. As such, they identify an attentional control mechanism that seems to lie at the cross-road of re-active control and more pro-active strategic adjustments. Comment on the significance of the research work presented and the potential relevance for patient care: Results on the neural mechanisms underlying conflict processing in healthy participants will provide insights that are likely to bear on numerous pathological brain states, including addiction, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Parkinsons's disease. For example, research has shown that Parkinson's disease patients show a markedly decreased Gratton effect (e.g. Fielding et al., 2005) and this work will likely bear on this issue by providing a better understanding of the attentional contributions to cognitive control. References Fielding, J., Georgiou-Karistianis, N., Bradshaw, J.L., Millist, L., White, O.B., 2005, No sequence dependent modulation of the Simon effect in Parkinson's disease, Cognitive Brain Research, vol 25, issue 1, Elsevier, The Netherlands, pp. 251-260. Keywords: Gratton effect, cognitve control, EEG/ERP, selective attention, stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA), conflict adaptation Conference: Belgian Brain Council 2014 MODULATING THE BRAIN: FACTS, FICTION, FUTURE, Ghent, Belgium, 4 Oct - 4 Oct, 2014. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Basic Neuroscience Citation: Bombeke K, Duthoo W, Schevernels H, Notebaert W and Boehler N (2014). The role of selective attention in the Gratton effect. Conference Abstract: Belgian Brain Council 2014 MODULATING THE BRAIN: FACTS, FICTION, FUTURE. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2014.214.00032 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 30 Jun 2014; Published Online: 30 Jun 2014. * Correspondence: Mr. Klaas Bombeke, Universiteit Gent, Ghent, Belgium, klaas.bombeke@ugent.be Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Klaas Bombeke Wout Duthoo Hanne Schevernels Wim Notebaert Nico Boehler Google Klaas Bombeke Wout Duthoo Hanne Schevernels Wim Notebaert Nico Boehler Google Scholar Klaas Bombeke Wout Duthoo Hanne Schevernels Wim Notebaert Nico Boehler PubMed Klaas Bombeke Wout Duthoo Hanne Schevernels Wim Notebaert Nico Boehler Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.