Brain activity during selective and divided attention
Year: 2017
Type: dissertation
Abstract: This thesis investigated brain activity with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during selective and divided attention. Selective attention refers to the ability to selectively attend and process certain stimuli while ignoring others. Divided attention is needed, when two or more tasks requiring selective attention are performed in parallel. However, attention is easily caught by sudden changes in the environment. Brain activity and task performance during distracted and undistracted attention was also compared. The results showed that selective attention to auditory or visual modality enhanced activity in the auditory and visual cortices, respectively. However, the results also implied that the effects of selective attention may be influenced by task-irrelevant variation of the stimuli. The present thesis also showed that during divided attention, when two cognitively demanding tasks are performed in parallel, brain activity is enhanced in cortical areas in relation to the two tasks performed one at a time. Such activity enhancements specifically associated with divided attention were found in left middle frontal cortex during several different divided attention tasks. This suggests that division of attention requires specific, higher-level cognitive processes not needed in other attention-engaging tasks. However, not all dual tasks were associated with frontal activity enhancements. Complex selective attention tasks performed in parallel with another selective attention task may influence the higher-level cognitive processes or integration of two tasks needed during dual tasking.
Source: Työväentutkimus Vuosikirja
Author: Emma Salo
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2736443699