Year: 2014
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Sounds unfold and disappear across time, implying a crucial role of auditory short-term memory (STM) in coherent discourse comprehension. Yet, few studies have examined how sounds are represented and selectively attended within STM, particularly when multiple sound representations coexist in STM. Thus, the goals of my research were: 1) to elucidate the neural processes and networks involved in reflective attention (i.e., orienting attention to auditory representations with STM), 2) to determine if the feature used to access a representation modulates these processes/networks, and 3) using both visual and auditory stimuli, to assess the contribution of supramodal and/or modality-specific networks involved in orienting attention to STM. The results revealed that the feature used to access a representation (e.g., spatial, semantic, or sensory modality) can modulate the neural underpinnings of reflective attention. In addition to these feature-specific effects, feature-general correlates of reflective attention were observed, suggesting the role of a general attentional control process in reflective attention. The implications of these findings on current theories of how concurrent sounds are represented and attended in STM are discussed.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Kristina C. Backer
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2761825576