Flexible use of attentional templates to guide adaptive behavior

Thesis

Attentional templates are the mental representations that we use to facilitate efficient ongoing behavior, including the detection and identification of task-relevant sensory input. These templates are traditionally studied within the context of visual search. In this case, a template containing target-defining features is used to guide attention to possible targets. In this doctoral thesis, I will expand the concept of the attentional template in several important ways, on the basis of an inter-related series of empirical studies. I propose that templates carry information along several dimensions in addition to item identity, such as space, time, and associated actions. I further demonstrate that attentional templates are adaptable and action-oriented. They do not necessarily represent the veridical properties of the target item, but rather are adapted to better serve future behavior. Additionally, I show that attentional templates can be retrieved from associations in memory, rather than being explicitly provided as in more conventional tasks. In the General Introduction I review past literature related to attentional templates. Moreover, I list the axes I consider necessary for the study of attentional templates. Chapters 2 through 5 describe empirical studies probing the nature and flexibility of attentional templates. In Chapter 2, I investigate the behavioral benefits and electrophysiological signatures of memory-guided identity-based anticipation. In Chapter 3, I probe the extent to which attentional templates retrieved through memory associations can be adapted to task demands and differ from veridical representations. In Chapter 4, I explore whether and when prospective actions are incorporated into the attentional template. Finally, in Chapter 5, I test whether spatiotemporal information can be incorporated into an attentional template during a dynamic visual search task. Across these studies, the results reveal the flexible nature of attentional templates that are used to guide our behavior. In the General Discussion I place these results in a wider context and suggest potential avenues for continued research.

Authors: Boettcher, SEP

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-9gkgnkrp9
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: Attention; Memory; EEG; Attentional Templates
• Subjects: Cognitive Psychology; Experimental Psychology