Work

Spatial attention increases performance but not subjective confidence in a discrimination task

Year: 2008

Type: article

Abstract: Selective attention to a target yields faster and more accurate responses. Faster response times, in turn, are usually associated with increased subjective confidence. Could the decrease in reaction time in the presence of attention therefore simply reflect a shift toward more confident responses? We here addressed the extent to which attention modulates accuracy, processing speed, and confidence independently. To probe the effect of spatial attention on performance, we used two attentional manipulations of a visual orientation discrimination task. We demonstrate that spatial attention significantly increases accuracy, whereas subjective confidence measures reveal overconfidence in non-attended stimuli. At constant confidence levels, reaction times showed a significant decrease (by 15-49%, corresponding to 100-250 ms). This dissociation of objective performance and subjective confidence suggests that attention and awareness, as measured by confidence, are distinct, albeit related, phenomena.

Source: Journal of Vision

DOI: 10.1167/8.5.7

Authors: Claudia Wilimzig, Naotsugu Tsuchiya, Manfred Fahle, Wolfgang Einhäuser, Christof Koch

Institutions: California Institute of Technology, University of Bremen, Philipps University of Marburg

Language: English

Topic: Visual perception and processing mechanisms

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,850

Funders: Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung, G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation, National Institute of Mental Health