Articles tagged with Attention
Researchers found that attention-related signals occur independently of eye movement signals, and microsaccades are not required for shifting attention. This breakthrough resolves controversy about brain systems for attention and has implications for understanding attention disorders and behavior.
A recent study found that approximately 1 in 3 heart attack survivors experience significant mental decline in the days and months following their heart attack. Cognitive deficits can impact quality of life and treatment adherence, emphasizing the need for cardiologists to monitor patients regularly.
Researchers found that alpha oscillations are involved in two distinct processes: one related to observation accuracy and the other to internal representation of sensory events. Increasing or decreasing alpha speed and amplitude can independently modulate perception accuracy.
Researchers from Washington State University found that the optimal time of day for different cognitive tasks does not differ based on task type. Participants who felt sleepy should consider postponing important tasks until a later time to avoid performance impairment.
A new study examined caregiver-child interaction in the US and Japan, finding that mothers directed their children's attention differently and Japanese children shifted their attention to become more sensitive to contextual background. The research provides insights into the role of social interaction and cultural diversity in cognitiv...
A new study shows that students with attention problems are more likely to cheat, as inattention can lead to hyperactivity, creating a perfect setup for cheating. The study suggests that many students with attention issues don't receive the help they need, leading them to resort to cheating.
A new study suggests that a behavioral marker in preterm infants can indicate potential development problems. Researchers used digital eye tracking to test the infants' visual motor coordination and found that those who struggled with this task were more likely to face cognitive and social difficulties later on.
The locus coeruleus, a tiny cell structure in the brainstem, regulates our brain's sensitivity to relevant information. Noradrenaline, produced by the blue spot, modulates alpha oscillations, allowing us to focus attention.
Researchers found that delirium and spatial neglect are associated with widespread dysfunction of brain networks, including arousal, attention, and spatial orientation. This imbalance may contribute to chronic cognitive decline after stroke.
Researchers at University of Rochester Medical Center found that the brain processes attended and unattended speech differently, converting attended speech into linguistic units for understanding. This study contributes to developing better wearable devices, such as hearing aids.
A recent University of Cincinnati study investigated how mindfulness affects mind wandering and found that while it can be effective in reducing mind-wandering thoughts, the results differ depending on the research methodology. The study suggests using computer-based testing methods to measure mind wandering for more reliable findings.
A recent study from Tel Aviv University found that mothers' smartphone use reduces toddler interaction by a factor of four. Reduced interaction can have far-reaching consequences on child development, including language and social skills. The study also found no significant difference between browsing smartphones and reading magazines.
Convolutional neural networks trained to identify abnormalities on upper extremity radiographs are susceptible to a ubiquitous confounding image feature: radiograph labels. Covering these labels increases accuracy, while using them alone leads to decreased performance.
Researchers studied head tilting in dogs that could learn toy names and found a relationship between head tilts and processing relevant stimuli. Consistent side tilts were observed for each individual dog over time.
Researchers found no difference between kids exposed to language at birth, regardless of sign or speech. Children with delayed language exposure tend to struggle with executive functioning. The study suggests that 'talking' doesn't just mean speech—sign language exposure is equally nourishing for baby brains.
A study published in the Atlantic Journal of Communication analyzed Instagram posts from 20 celebrity influencers about COVID-19 between March and May 2020. The researchers found that celebrities initially modeled guidance from health experts, normalizing suggested behaviors such as staying home and practicing hand hygiene.
Researchers found that people's pupils dilate more in response to metaphors than to literal or concrete statements. The study suggests that everyday metaphors, often considered clichés, play a significant role in engaging our brains and conveying richer meaning.
A new smartphone-based app, iBehavior, will be tested to improve the accuracy of data in clinical trials involving individuals with intellectual disability. The app uses ecological momentary assessment to track symptoms related to executive function, often associated with ADHD.
A meta-analysis of tDCS studies found that applying tDCS during tasks improved reaction times, particularly in learning and memory tasks and executive function/complex attention tasks. The improvement was more pronounced in older individuals, suggesting that tDCS may increase with age.
A study by University of Texas at Dallas researcher Dr. Sheen S. Levine found that white Americans are prone to making poor decisions when they ignore their Black peers. When given the opportunity to witness Black peers' accomplishments, however, the racial attention deficit subsides, suggesting a remedy for diversity efforts.
Researchers found that subjects' heart rates synchronized even when listening to a story alone, as long as they were paying attention. This synchronization was predictive of conscious processing of the narrative, and had implications for understanding mindfulness and the brain-body connection.
A study of nearly 12,000 kids found that screen time is only slightly linked to attention disorders, disturbed sleep, and lower grades. However, excessive screen time may have social benefits, with kids who spent more time with screens having more close friends.
Research found that COVID-19 patients with more severe symptoms scored lower on reasoning and problem-solving tasks. Cognitive deficits were greatest in those receiving mechanical ventilation, similar to average decline seen over a decade of ageing.
A new study by UBC researchers found that people perceived as being less real and having 'less mind' when appearing within a photo. This discovery has implications for digital communication, particularly in online trials, healthcare, and education, where the perception of a person's mind can influence moral judgement.
A recent study funded by NIH found that excessive daily screen time is associated with cognitive and behavioral issues in extremely preterm children. Children who spent more than two hours on screens per day had lower IQ scores and poorer problem-solving skills compared to their peers.
A new study published in Autism Research found that attention training in autistic children aged 8-14 led to notable improvements in math, reading, writing, and overall attention. The researchers developed a computer programme called CPAT, which showed significant results in both immediate and long-term assessments.
A new study found that a special type of brain training based on neurofeedback enables people with attention deficit disorder to improve their ability to concentrate. The training is linked to an enhanced response from the brain's P3 wave, which reflects integration of information in the brain.
A study published in the Journal of Sleep Research found that disrupted slumber can be associated with cognitive dysfunction in middle-aged and older men. The research suggests that optimal attention and cognitive speed may be affected by poor sleep, particularly in day-to-day activities such as driving and physical activities.
A University of Otago study found that anxiety enhances recall of supernatural agents, leading to the formation of religious beliefs. The research suggests that anxious individuals are initially attracted to the scary traits of gods and other supernatural concepts due to their alarming effects on our expectations.
A recent study found that plant scientists tend to favor visually striking plants in their research, regardless of ecological importance. The study analyzed 113 plant species and found a strong correlation between research focus on certain plant characteristics and attention.
Researchers found that adaptive cognitive training program Cogmed Working Memory Training improved visual working memory, verbal short-term memory, and math fluency in children with SCD. Patients who completed at least 10 training sessions showed the most significant benefits.
Research by Matthew Panichello and Timothy Buschman found that attention and working memory share the same neural mechanisms, with neurons in the prefrontal cortex controlling both. This allows for dynamic transformation of memories to guide behavior, like rotating a paper to read text.
A new study from Northwestern University found that individuals' ideological beliefs about equality significantly impact their perception of social inequality. Egalitarians are more likely to notice disparities affecting disadvantaged groups, while anti-egalitarians are more tolerant of inequality between groups.
Psychologist Darya Zabelina is researching how attention and executive functions relate to creative thinking. She aims to develop training protocols to improve creativity in military personnel, who face unpredictable situations.
A six-week training program improved emotional resilience in veterans by increasing confidence in regulating emotions and reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. Brain function changes also occurred, with reduced crosstalk between brain regions involved in emotional processing.
A new study by University of Nebraska-Lincoln psychologist Ingrid Haas found that humans process politically incongruent statements differently, with stronger neurological responses for inconsistent positions. Participants showed increased activity in brain regions involved in cognitive function when reading statements deviating from p...
Professor Stephen M. Robertson at George Mason University is receiving $45,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities to study the 1935 racial violence in Harlem. He will map the events and analyze how the press and legal system dealt with them.
The article highlights four major challenges in the online world: manipulative choice architectures, personalized information, false and misleading information, and distracting environments. To address these challenges, researchers propose interventions such as boosting tools, self-nudging, and media literacy education.
A new system called SpAtten enables more streamlined NLP with less computing power, achieving speeds of over 100 times faster than competing general-purpose processors and reducing energy consumption by over 1,000 times.
CCNY researchers use standard web cameras to track students' eye movements and predict test scores based on educational videos. They found that attentive students have higher inter-subject correlation of eye movements, making online education adaptable to individual attention levels in real-time.
Research finds cashless payments increase spending on unhealthy food as lower arousal directs attention away from decision risks. Participants with higher education were more willing to pay for desserts under cashless payment conditions.
Researchers found that toddlers with high daily touchscreen use are quicker to look at objects when they appear and less able to resist distraction. The study suggests a potential link between increased screen time and difficulties with attention in young children.
A new study suggests that moderate coffee intake can help mitigate some repercussions of reduced sleep over a few days. The study found that caffeinated coffee drinkers showed better vigilance, alertness, and reaction-time compared to decaffeinated coffee drinkers during the initial three-to-four days of restricted sleep.
Researchers tracked brain activity while participants performed mundane tasks to identify signals of unfocused thoughts. Increased alpha waves and weaker P3 signals were detected when minds wandered or weren't paying attention, promoting relaxation and exploration.
A theoretical model describes the cause of autism as a combination of socially valued traits and co-occurring disabilities, accounting for most cases. The BAPCO-DMAP theory explains how positive traits of autism interact with development and disabilities.
Two new studies provide insights into preventing workplace accidents and injuries by analyzing human error and cognitive processes. Researchers have developed an error-detection framework that computes the likelihood of human error in occupational settings.
A comprehensive review synthesizes neurobiology of mindfulness, motivation, and learning to explain how MBIs promote behavior change. Mindfulness training increases interoceptive awareness, allowing patients to recognize and respond to negative thought patterns and cultivate self-compassion.
A study by the University of Bristol found that Trump's tweets systematically divert attention away from harmful topics to unrelated issues representing his political strengths. This diversion significantly reduces negative media coverage of the harmful topic the next day.
A new study published by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University found that extraneous images on reading pages can draw attention away from text, reducing comprehension in beginning readers. Streamlined illustrations improved reading comprehension scores in first- and second-grade students.
Researchers examine whether animals can be deceived by magic effects, offering a window into their cognitive parallels and variances with humans.
A new data processing module called attentive normalization improves the performance of deep neural networks by combining feature normalization and feature attention. The hybrid module significantly increases accuracy while using negligible extra computational power, and facilitates better transfer learning between different domains.
Researchers used two-photon imaging to study the activity of layer 6 neurons in mice, finding three distinct populations that reacted differently to visual stimulation. These neurons complement each other to regulate information flow from sensory organs to the cortex, influencing our ability to focus or lose attention.
Research found toddlers with daily touchscreen use are faster to find targets during visual search, challenging concerns about negative impacts on development. High touchscreen users were quicker at finding red apples amongst varying numbers of blue apples.
A recent study published in The Economic Journal found that child disability can have a significant impact on the educational outcomes of their older siblings. The researchers analyzed data from Florida and Denmark and found that the second-born child was more adversely affected cognitively than the first-born child when the third-born...
Research from the University of Sussex found that participants who watched TV while performing a demanding task ate more snacks regardless of calorie content. However, those who engaged less in tasks consumed fewer snacks. The study suggests that distracted attention affects satiety cues and eating habits.
Researchers mapped the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) and found two distinct subnetworks of neurons with different functions. This could lead to specific targets for designing drugs to alleviate sensory, sleep, and attention symptoms in autism.
Researchers at Toyohashi University of Technology have discovered that pupillary responses can objectively estimate English language processing abilities, including distinguishing sounds like L and R. This method shows promise for efficient studying and may become a new indicator of language ability.
A new study from Purdue University finds that mothers do not have diminished attention and may even have better executive control attention compared to non-mothers. The research used a revised Attention Network Test to compare reaction times among 60 mothers and 70 non-mothers, finding no evidence to support the 'mommy brain' stereotype.
Researchers studied neurocognitive temporal training and its impact on Soldier performance, including improved marksmanship precision and reduced variability. The interactive metronome device was used to train Soldiers and measure their timing and rhythm abilities.
A new study reveals that heavy drinking leads to reduced ability to switch attention, update information, and maintain focus on set goals. This impairment has significant economic and daily life implications, particularly in tasks requiring planning and productivity.