Voluntary Attention Research Articles

Voluntary Attention Assessing Tests in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders Using Eye Tracking

Background/Objectives: The development of techniques for assessing cognitive functions using eye tracking is particularly important for children with developmental disabilities. In this paper, we present pilot results from the validation of two methods for assessing voluntary attention based on eye tracking. Methods: The study involved 80 children aged 3 to 8 years with neurodevelopmental disorders. Children performed two eye-tracking tests in which they had to ‘catch’ a stimulus by looking at it. They also completed the Attention Sustained subtest of the Leiter-3 International Performance Scale. In the first test, the stimuli were presented at different locations on the screen in subtests with stimuli onset asynchrony of 2 s and 1 s. A translucent blue marker marked the position of the gaze on the screen. The number of trials in which the gaze marker approached the stimulus was determined. In the second test, the location of the stimuli on the screen was changed based on gaze fixation in the ROI area. The time taken to complete the task was evaluated. Results: The results of both eye-tracking tests showed significant correlations with scores on the Attention Sustained Leiter-3 subtest and significant test–retest reliability. Conclusions: The results indicate that the present eye-tracking tests can be used for assessing voluntary attention in children with some neurodevelopmental disorders, and further research is warranted to assess the feasibility of these tests for a broader range of developmental disorders. Our findings could have practical implications for the early intervention and ongoing monitoring of attention-related issues.

Visuospatial, oculomotor, and executive reading skills evolve in elementary school, and errors are significant: a topological RAN study.

We investigate the development of visuospatial and oculomotor reading skills in a cohort of elementary school children. Employing a longitudinal methodology, the study applies the Topological serial digit Rapid Automated Naming (Top-RAN) battery, which evaluates visuospatial reading skills leveraging metrics addressing crowding, distractors, and voluntary attention orientation. The participant pool comprises 142 students (66 males, 76 females), including 46 non-native speakers (21 males, 25 females), representing a diverse range of ethnic backgrounds. The Top-RAN dataset encompasses performance, error, and self-correction metrics for each subtest and student, underscoring the significance of these factors in the process of reading acquisition. Analytical methods include dimensionality reduction, clustering, and classification algorithms, consolidated into a Python package to facilitate reproducible results. Our results indicate that visuospatial reading abilities vary according to the task and demonstrate a marked evolution over time, as seen in the progressive decrease in execution times, errors, and self-corrections. This pattern supports the hypothesis that the growth of oculomotor, attentional, and executive skills is primarily fostered by educational experiences and maturation. This investigation provides valuable insights into the dynamic nature of these skills during pivotal educational stages.

Динамика развития управляющих функций у детей 5–6 лет в условиях Севера России

The age of 5–6 years is an important stage in the development of the child’s executive functions. It is traditionally considered a sensitive period, which is complicated by the transition from the pre-school to the primary school educational system. A child’s future academic success depends on the degree of development of executive functions (EF). Identifying specific EF components that are closely related to school readiness can help devise optimal educational approaches to pre-schoolers. Early diagnosis of certain signs of control function immaturity can help correct them in order to develop all the components of voluntary attention. The purpose of this paper is to assess the development of executive functions in children aged 5–6 years. Materials and methods. The longitudinal study was conducted between 2020 and 2022 and involved 15 children (9 boys and 6 girls) aged 5 to 6 years without a history of neurological and mental diseases, attending the same preschool (in the city of Arkhangelsk) that conforms to modern educational standards. The testing was carried out at the beginning and at the end of each academic year. Results. Having compared the parameters under study in children aged 5–6 years, we found uneven development of the EF components. Progressive changes at this age concern the functions of selective regulation, control, and following certain programmes of activities. The integral indicator of the total EF deficit follows a noticeable downward trend. This can also be evidenced by significant direct correlations between the EF components and academic success.

Learning to discriminate the eye-of-origin during continuous flash suppression.

Helmholtz asked whether one could discriminate which eye is the origin of one's perception merely based on the retinal signals. Studies to date showed that participants' ability to tell the eye-of-origin most likely depends on contextual cues. Nevertheless, it has been shown that exogenous attention can enhance performance for monocularly presented stimuli. We questioned whether adults can be trained to discriminate the eye-of-origin of their perceptions and if this ability depends on the strength of the monocular channels. We used attentional feed-forward training to improve the subject's eye-of-origin discrimination performance with voluntary attention. During training, participants received a binocular cue to inform them of the eye-of-origin of an upcoming target. Using continuous flash suppression, we also measured the signal strength of the monocular targets to see any possible modulations related to the cues. We collected confidence ratings from the participants about their eye-of-origin judgements to study in further detail whether metacognition has access to this information. Our results show that, even though voluntary attention did not alter the strength of the monocular channels, eye-of-origin discrimination performance improved following the training. A similar pattern was observed for confidence. The results from the feedforward attentional training and the increase in subjective confidence point towards a high-level decisional mechanism being responsible for the eye-of-origin judgements. We propose that this high-level process is informed by subtle sensory cues such as the differences in luminance or contrast in the two monocular channels.

Features of neurocognitive and psychoemotional disorders in young patients with arterial hypertension

The article presents the results of the study of cognitive functions and the psychoemotional state of young patients with arterial hypertension. In total, 91 patients between the ages of 25 and 44, as well as 30 clinically healthy individuals of the appropriate age and article, were involved in the study. All studied patients were divided into two groups depending on the presence of neurocognitive disorders. The condition was assessed using international standardized scales and tests. The study showed that people with AH had mild disorders of verbal memory, counting operations and disorientation, which was manifested by incorrect naming of the date. It was characterized by the presence of disorders of voluntary attention from minor, initial manifestations, which, first of all, was manifested by fatigue, to violations of a mild-moderate degree in the form of narrowing of volumes and insufficiency of the processes of concentration, distribution and switching. The psychoemotional state of young patients with hypertension was characterized by the presence of mild depressive disorders. For patients with neurocognitive disorders against the background of hypertension, the presence of moderate reactive and personal anxiety was characteristic. Key words: arterial hypertension, neurocognitive disorders, anxiety, depression

Clinical and neurological aspects of endocrine disorders in Down syndrome in children

BACKGROUND: Down syndrome is a common genetic pathology in which multiple defects are observed, including endocrine disorders of varying severity. Hypothyroidism occupies a leading position among all hormonal disorders in such children. However, the significance of hypofunction of the thyroid gland in the development and progression of cerebral dysfunction in children with trisomy 21 has not been sufficiently studied.
 AIM: Assessment of the impact of endocrine pathology in children with Down syndrome on the state of neurological functions.
 MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined 50 children aged 3–5 years with complete trisomy of chromosome 21. At the same time, the number of boys was 13 (32%), girls — 27 (68%). Children of the main group had verified endocrine disorders associated with Down syndrome. Children in the control group had a confirmed diagnosis of Down syndrome, but did not have endocrine pathology, and their number was 10 people — 8 girls (80%) and 2 boys (20). Everyone underwent speech therapy and neuropsychological examination. Children of the main and control groups, in addition to standard biochemical and general blood tests, underwent a detailed laboratory study with determination of T3, T4, TSH levels. An advisory examination and dynamic observation by a speech therapist for 6 months. All children were assessed by a neurologist according to generally accepted methods.
 RESULTS: Data have been obtained indicating a fairly widespread prevalence of thyroid dysfunction among patients with Down syndrome. However, clinical symptoms may not be specific due to their similarity to the phenotypic manifestations of a genetic disease. Thus, patients with clinically significant hypothyroidism had more severe cognitive impairment. There was a significantly lower level of psycho-speech development in 95.3±3.1% of cases (p 0.001) according to the results of comprehensive neuropsychological and speech therapy examinations. In the group of children with severe hypothyroidism, significantly more severe disorders of mental functions were encountered. At the same time, as thyroxine was prescribed in age-appropriate dosages for 3 months, the child’s condition improved, mnestic functions and voluntary attention improved in 60% of patients in the main group. In 70% of cases, there was an improvement in the evacuation function of the gastrointestinal tract, in 65% there was a normalization of the humidity and temperature of the skin.
 CONCLUSION: Timely diagnosis of thyroid gland dysfunction is an important preventive measure for genetic abnormalities associated with multiple comorbid pathologies, such as trisomy 21, Down syndrome. Timely correction of existing disorders can improve the quality of life of such children and their relatives and can contribute to their adequate socialization and adaptation in modern society.

Dynamic muscular endurance as an indicator of functional readiness of cyber-athletes.

Aim: To study the dynamic muscular endurance of hand movement according to the tapping test in connection with the manifestations of cognitive qualities of cyber-athletes and students involved in computer games as a hobby. Materials and Methods: Dynamic muscular endurance of the right and left hands of the examined subjects was studied (using the tapping test method), as well as the reaction to a moving object using the diagnostic complex "Diagnost-1". Correction tables (Landolt rings) were used to study voluntary attention. 45 students of the National University of Ukraine on Physical Education and Sport of both sexes, aged 17-26, took part in the study, among whom 10 are cyber-athletes (sports experience of 1-10 years), 15 amateurs (involved in computer games as a hobby) and 20 students who do not play computer games (control group). Results: In cyber-athletes and students involved in computer games, the dynamic muscular endurance of the movement of the hand of the subdominant hand was greater than in students who did not engage in computer games. A higher level of dynamic muscular endurance for the subdominant hand and less functional asymmetry according to the tapping test scores in cyber-athletes were associated with a more successful performance of the attention test. Conclusions: A higher level of dynamic muscular endurance for the subdominant arm and a smaller functional asymmetry according to the tapping test indicators in e-athletes can be considered as an indicator of functional readiness.

Mindfulness and mechanisms of attention in a neutral and palatable food context.

Mindfulness has been associated with benefits on cognitive processes, including attention. However, the exact relationship between mindfulness, components of attention, and the role of reward context has not yet been fully elucidated, which is relevant, especially in the context of addiction. In the current study, we specifically evaluated the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and the balance between voluntary (top-down), and stimulus-driven (bottom-up) attention. In addition, we explored whether the relationship was mediated by asymmetry of frontal brain activity, an index of approach tendencies, and varies as a function of reward context. In total, 95 participants (30 male, 65 female) with a mean age of 25.87 (SD = 7.38) participated. Resting-state electrophysiological activity was recorded using EEG, and participants were assessed on dispositional mindfulness, and performed the visuospatial cueing (VSC) task, which indexed voluntary- and stimulus-driven attention in a neutral and palatable food (reward) context. In the endogenous VSC task, a central cue signals the likely location of a subsequent target. The validity effect represents the benefit of valid cueing relative to the costs of invalid cueing in terms of response time. Dispositional mindfulness was associated with a reduced validity effect, plausibly reflecting a combination of reduced voluntary attention and increased stimulus-driven attention, irrespective of condition. The relationship between dispositional mindfulness and visuospatial attention could not be explained by asymmetry of frontal brain activity.

Neuropsychological approach in assessing the voluntary attention of younger schoolchildren with different levels of success in learning

This article discusses the features of the neuropsychological approach aimed at overcoming retardations in mental development, preventing and solving emerging difficulties in teaching children of primary school age and involving the construction of psychological and diagnostic work with a child, taking into account his individual typological neuropsychological characteristics: the state of higher mental functions, highlighting strengths and weaknesses, components of the development of higher mental functions. The article contains data on the features of the state of voluntary attention in younger students with different success in educational activities, provides information on the forms of attention, and describes the external manifestations of impaired voluntary attention. The article contains a description of a study conducted among second grade students aimed at assessing such properties of attention as work efficiency, degree of development and mental stability using the “Schulte Table” technique. A detailed comparative analysis of the characteristics of voluntary attention in 81 schoolchildren of 170 a general education school with different success in learning activities is described: successful in learning, with partial and complex learning difficulties. Significant differences were revealed in children of primary school age, depending on the success of education. The importance of timely neuropsychological diagnostics of second graders which helps to identify the neuropsychological causes of partial and complex learning difficulties of children, and also allows to outline ways of corrective and developmental assistance to younger students in order to optimize the state of HMF (higher mental functions) and accordingly, to overcome the educational problems of children of primary school age is actualized.

When do we become more distractible? Progressive evolution of different components of distractibility from early to late adulthood.

Distractibility determines the propensity to have one's attention captured by irrelevant information; it relies on a balance between voluntary and involuntary attention. We report a cross-sectional study that uses the competitive attention test to characterize patterns of attention across the adult life span from 21 to 86 years old. Several distractibility components were measured in 186 participants distributed within seven age groups. Results indicate that distractibility components follow distinct trajectories with aging: Voluntary orienting remains stable from 21 to 86 years old, sustained attention decreases after 30 years old, distraction progressively increases between 26 and 86 years old, and impulsivity is lower in older compared to younger adults. Increased distractibility in older age thus seems to result from a dominance of involuntary over voluntary attention processes, whose detrimental effect on performance is partly compensated by enhanced motor control. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Placing willed attention in context: a review of attention and free will

Attention is the ability to focus one's awareness on relevant events and objects while ignoring distracting ones. Laboratory studies of top-down voluntary attention commonly use predictive or instructional cues to direct attention. However, in real world scenarios, voluntary attention is not necessarily externally cued, but may be focused by internal, self-generated processes. The voluntary focusing of attention in the absence of external guidance has been referred to as “willed attention,” a term borrowed from the literature on willed motor actions. In a fashion similar to studies of willed (self-initiated) actions, during willed attention, participants are given the freedom to deploy attention based on their own free choices. Electrophysiological studies have shown that during willed attention, ongoing neural activity biases willed attention decisions on a moment-to-moment basis as reflected in transient patterns of brain electrical activity that predict where participants will later choose to focus their attention. Brain imaging studies have revealed that compared to cued attention, willed attention involves additional frontal cortical structures, which interact with the classic attentional control networks of the human brain to produce a modified network organization for willed attention control. In this introduction to willed attention, we briefly review the fields of voluntary attention and self-initiated motor actions, in order to describe willed attention and its neural correlates as they relate to the broader concepts of attention and volition.

Developing voluntary attention in primary school children as part of sensorimotor integration program

Introduction. In the modern world, rapid development of IT and large volumes of information make attention a leading cognitive process which ensures a student’s learning success. The study aims to research the impact of sensorimotor integration programs on attention development in primary school children. Materials and methods. The study was based in the municipal autonomous educational institution ‘Secondary educational school No. 150’ in Krasnoyarsk (Russian Federation) with 43 children of primary school age (2nd grade). The Bourdon test determined the level of attention properties development in children before and after the experiment. Pearson's chi-squared test was used to statistically process the data. Results. A special methodology was designed for building a curriculum on sensorimotor integration for primary schoolchildren, aimed at developing voluntary attention. The training program comprises cycles of exercises for developing and strengthening the abilities of a specific attention function. A methodology was created for pedagogically assessing the effectiveness of testing a complex sensorimotor integration program meant to develop the basic properties of attention: concentration, stability and volume. After the formative experiment, repeated diagnostics revealed statistically significant progress in all these properties in the experimental group compared with the control group at a significance level of α < 0.05. Conclusion. Along with the development of attention properties indicators in primary school children, the experiment revealed an improvement in indicators of other mental functions, namely, short-term and long-term memory and thinking. The new program for developing attention through sensorimotor integration can be recommended to improve the learning processes for children with physical and developmental disabilities.

Psychocorrective program aimed at recovery of cognitive productivity of persons with alcohol dependence syndrome.

The article presents data on the effectiveness of the psychocorrective program developed by the authors, aimed at improving the cognitive functioning of persons with alcohol dependence syndrome at the stage of active anti-alcohol treatment. The psychocorrective program is developed within the framework of an integrative psychotherapeutic approach, including the techniques of cognitive-behavioral therapy, body-oriented psychotherapy, art therapy, as well as mnemonic techniques used for the development of short-term memory, voluntary attention, and abstract thinking. It is shown that the use of methods of non-pharmacological correction of disorders of cognitive functions in patients of this category can contribute to the recovery of normative cognitive productivity, the formation of conditions for the optimization of therapeutic interaction, and the improvement of the quality of drug addiction treatment. Key words: alcohol dependence, cognitive disorders, rehabilitation of cognitive functions

Typology of Primary School Children with Identified Developmental Disability and Learning Difficulties

At the present stage of the development of the system of psychological and pedagogical support for the subjects of the educational process, the goal of timely diagnosis and identification children with developmental problems that are the reason for the lack of the necessary psychological basis to master the educational program becomes the most urgent. According to research over the past 10 years, the number of primary school pupils who fail to cope with the program with preserved intelligence is steadily growing. The study aimed at identifying the psychological characteristics of children with developmental disabilities having learning problems involved 230 pupils of junior high school in the Sverdlovsk region, 111 of them girls (48 %) and 119 boys (52 %). The main diagnostic method was the Toulouse-Pieron test, universal for psychophysiological assessment. The most expressed signs of the minimal brain dysfunction are deficiencies in the formation of memory, thinking, voluntary attention, increased mental fatigue, distractibility, motor uncontrollability, weakness of self-regulation. As a result of the study hypotheses were confirmed that in children with the minimal brain dysfunctions, depending on the severity of the type, there are features of the development of the higher mental functions and the nature of behavior in the learning process that require special techniques for monitoring and evaluating pupils’ knowledge.

Dysfunction of visual novelty detection in physical but not social anhedonia in a non-clinical sample

Background/objectiveDespite its obvious motivational impairment, anhedonia as a transdiagnostic psychopathological construct is accompanied by deficits in attention function. Previous studies have identified voluntary attention anomalies in anhedonia, but its involuntary attention has received less study. MethodUsing a visual novelty oddball task, the current event-related potential study assessed electrophysical correlates underlying mismatch detection in anhedonia with a non-clinical sample. Well-matched healthy control (N = 28; CNT), social anhedonia (N = 27; SA), and physical anhedonia (N = 26; PA) groups were presented standard, target, and perceptually novel stimuli while their EEG was recording. ResultsThe PA group relative to the CNT group exhibited a reduced N2 to novel stimuli but not to target stimuli. In contrast, the SA group as compared to the other two groups showed comparable N2 responses to both target and novel stimuli. Control analyses indicated that these patterns were unaffected by depression symptoms. ConclusionsThese findings suggest that anhedonia is a heterogenous construct associated with impairments in early detection of visual novelty in physical but not social anhedonia, highlighting that dysfunction in involuntary attention may play a mediating role in the development, maintenance, and consequences of anhedonia-related psychopathology.

Costs and benefits of voluntary attention in crows.

Behavioural signatures of voluntary, endogenous selective attention have been found in both mammals and birds, but the relationship between performance benefits at attended and costs at unattended locations remains unclear. We trained two carrion crows (Corvus corone) on a Posner-like spatial cueing task with dissociated cue and target locations, using both highly predictive and neutral central cues to compare reaction time (RT) and detection accuracy for validly, invalidly and neutrally cued targets. We found robust RT effects of predictive cueing at varying stimulus-onset asynchronies (SOA) that resulted from both advantages at cued locations and costs at un-cued locations. Both crows showed cueing effects around 15-25 ms with an early onset at 100 ms SOA, comparable to macaques. Our results provide a direct assessment of costs and benefits of voluntary attention in a bird species. They show that crows are able to guide spatial attention using associative cues, and that the processing advantage at attended locations impairs performance at unattended locations.

Aligning top-down and voluntary attention control across individuals

Aligning top-down and voluntary attention control across individuals

Cognitive and affective interaction with somatosensory afference in acupuncture-a specific brain response to compound stimulus.

Acupuncture is a clinical intervention consisting of multiple stimulus components, including somatosensory stimulation and manipulation of therapeutic context. Existing findings in neuroscience consolidated cognitive modulation to somatosensory afferent process, which could differ from placebo mechanism in brain. Here, we aimed to identify intrinsic process of brain interactions induced by compound stimulus of acupuncture treatment. To separately and comprehensively investigate somatosensory afferent and cognitive/affective processes in brain, we implemented a novel experimental protocol of contextual manipulation with somatosensory stimulation (real acupuncture: REAL) and only contextual manipulation (phantom acupuncture: PHNT) for fMRI scan, and conducted independent component (IC)-wise assessment with the concatenated fMRI data. By our double (experimentally and analytically) dissociation, two ICs (CA1: executive control, CA2: goal-directed sensory process) for cognitive/affective modulation (associated with both REAL and PHNT) and other two ICs (SA1: interoceptive attention and motor-reaction, SA2: somatosensory representation) for somatosensory afference (associated with only REAL) were identified. Moreover, coupling between SA1 and SA2 was associated with a decreased heart rate during stimulation, whereas CA1 was associated with a delayed heart rate decrease post-stimulation. Furthermore, partial correlation network for these components demonstrated a bi-directional interaction between CA1 and SA1/SA2, suggesting the cognitive modulation to somatosensory process. The expectation for the treatment negatively affected CA1 but positively affected SA1 in REAL, whereas the expectation positively affected CA1 in PHNT. These specific cognitive-somatosensory interaction in REAL were differed from vicarious sensation mechanism in PHNT; and might be associated with a characteristic of acupuncture, which induces voluntary attention for interoception. Our findings on brain interactions in acupuncture treatment elucidated the underlying brain mechanisms for compound stimulus of somatosensory afferent and therapeutic contextual manipulation, which might be a specific response to acupuncture.

Multimedia technologies in music education of preschool children

The dynamic digitalization of the national education system leads to the transformation of all its links, including preschool education. One of the promising and strategic directions of digitalization of preschool education is the use of multimedia technologies that expand the possibilities of organizing the educational process. Domestic and foreign scholars in their studies point out the special role of multimedia technologies for the development of a child's intelligence and personality.
 The concept of multimedia is associated with computer processing and presentation of various types of information, as well as with the variability of images and scenarios.
 The introduction of multimedia into the field of education leads to the emergence of new software tools and requires their content in the development of new teaching methods. The article focuses on multimedia presentations as powerful didactic tools for music lessons. When using multimedia presentations, children's interest in educational activities increases, the level of their cognitive abilities increases, and preschoolers' abilities develop more effectively. The use of new diverse and non-traditional methods of explaining and consolidating material playfully increases children's involuntary attention in the process of cognition, helps to activate their voluntary attention, and promotes the development of all mental processes.
 Based on the analysis of theoretical studies, the peculiarity of information perception by means of multimedia is determined considering the types of people: kinesthetic, audial, and visual. It is emphasized that these types of perception should be considered because the quality of information perception directly affects the success of learning.

PHYSICAL EXERCISES FOR IMPROVING THE VOLUNTARY MOTOR-TYPE ATTENTION IN 5-9 GRADE PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

The voluntary motor type attention is considered as one of the important mental functions for a person. Voluntary attention is necessary first of all for successful study and formation of the ability to apply acquired important knowledge and skills in various life situations that are constantly changing. Therefore, the problem of improving voluntary attention in general, and motor type attention in particular, continues to be a subject of constant study. The purpose of the study is to justify special sets of physical exercises designed to improve voluntary motor type attention among 5-9 grade primary school students. For justification of the physical exercises complexes, a study was conducted using the methods of analysis and synthesis of scientific information, pedagogical observation and experiment. During the research, nine special physical exercises were selected, divided into three groups: the first group - individual exercises; the second group - exercises performed in pairs; the third group - group exercises. The students of the experimental group performed sets of special exercises three times a week at the beginning of the main part of the physical training lesson. Individual training included consecutive repetition of special sets of 10 minutes duration exercises. A total of 12 such classes were held. The students of the comparison group studied according to the usual program and did not perform special exercises to improve voluntary attention of the motor type. At the beginning and at the end of the experiment, a comparative analysis of the indicators of the errors number made when performing control exercises for the attention of male and female students was carried out. During the research, the positive influence of experimental complexes of physical exercises on the improvement of the voluntary motor type attention among 5-9 grade primary school students was found. The research results showed the effectiveness of the training program using special sets of physical exercises to improve the voluntary motor type attention for primary school students of this age category. It is considered appropriate to continue conformation the effectiveness of the use of special physical exercises designed to improve the motor type voluntary attention for other age categories of primary school students.