SPUR Project

2009 Winner (12 of 1)

Independent or Interactive Effects: Assessing the Locus of Selection in Cross-Modal Attention
Supervisors: Dr Doug Barrett, Prof Deb Hall

Our perceptual systems are constantly bombarded by energy (e.g. sights and sounds). In order to guide coherent behaviour, we must associate information from different senses to the objects to which they belong and select relevant from irrelevant objects in the scene. Psychologists describe the processes underlying this ability as selective attention. Current models of selective attention fall into two categories; supramodal, in which selection is constrained to a level of representation that incorporates cross-modal information (e.g. visual and auditory attributes) and modality specific (e.g. Sinnett et al., 2007; Spierer et al., 2007) in which selection is based upon the independent contribution of modality specific resources. Delineating which of these two accounts best describes attention is important to our understanding of selection in real-world situations and has particular relevance to intervention strategies and outcomes for patients with disorders of spatial attention (e.g. hemispatial neglect). The project investigated cross-modal attention by comparing discrimination thresholds for visual stimuli in response to visual, auditory and visual and auditory cues. Analyses determined whether changes in perceptual sensitivity in each condition reflect statistically independent contributions from each modality or an interaction of the two. In order to acquaint the student with the theoretical, empirical and analytic aspects of the design, the student was provided with weekly reading material which they discussed together with the supervisor on a weekly basis. Student tasks included assistance with the design and implementation of experimental stimuli, data collection and analysis using specialist software and reporting on findings. Opportunities were made available for the student to co-author a journal article and poster presentation.