In daily life, it is critical that we are able to direct our visual attention to information that is important for our tasks while avoiding distracting information. To control our attention, we have to configure our brain to shift how incoming visual signals are processed. All major theories of attention contain the idea of attentional templates, an internal representation of our search goals. In spite of the consensus on the concept of attentional templates, the mechanisms by which attentional templates operate are still unclear. Understanding the mechanism of attentional templates is critical for developing models of the attentional system so that we may fully understand what is going wrong in disorders associated with attention. This project focuses on understanding the mechanisms underlying a newly discovered aspect of attentional control, ?active attentional suppression?, driven by negative templates. General executive functions include aspects of inhibition and selective attention, and deficits in executive functions have been highlighted in multiple mental health disorders including addiction, ADHD, and Schizophrenia (Diamond, 2013). Negative templates include aspects of inhibition and selective attention, and tap into a unique aspect of executive control within the visual system. We will take neurophysiological measurements to examine the neural underpinnings of active attentional suppression, and use measures of human behavior including eye tracking to interrogate new questions about the nature of attentional control. Understanding how negative templates are implemented will illuminate the mechanisms underlying attentional control more broadly.
This project examines how we are able to use executive control within vision to actively ignore known distractors utilizing a series of human electroencephalographic (EEG) measures as well as behavioral measures. This work will increase our fundamental understanding of executive control within vision, and may serve as a unique window into deficits in attentional processing.
