5B. Neural Basis of Attention

• Which brain regions are primarily involved in attention?

  Frontal and parietal cortices, along with subcortical regions
• What is the role of the orienting system in attention?

  It shifts attention from desired stimuli to away from irrelevant stimuli
• Which brain region is predominantly associated with the orienting system?

  Parietal cortex
• What does the altering system do in terms of attention?

  It maintains a state of alertness
• Which brain region is predominantly associated with the altering system?

  Frontal cortex
• What is the function of the executive system in attention?

  It coordinates and integrates information
• Which brain region is predominantly associated with the executive system?

  Frontal cortex
• How does the processing of incoming stimuli occur?

  It comes from other regions, such as the visual cortex
• How do complex networks across attention systems function?

  They allow us to adjust focus on stimuli using priming
• Which cortices control attention?

  Parietal and frontal cortices
• What role does the visual cortex play in attention?

  It analyses and processes visual information
• How do parietal and frontal cortices activate the visual cortex?

  According to the intention to pay attention to certain stimuli
• What happens when attention is directed to the left visual field?

  Areas of the right visual cortex are activated
• How does the activation of cortical regions vary?

  It depends on the type of information being attended to
• What is the competition among cognitive tasks based on?

  Resources and cognitive load
• What does a higher cognitive load require?

  More resources and creates greater interference
• What did Murphy & Greene (2016) study about cognitive load and attention?

  Higher cognitive loads interfere with noticing unexpected stimuli
• What is executive control in the context of attention?

  A mental tool that helps keep current goals in mind
• Which chemicals are thought to influence attention systems?

  Dopamine, acetylcholine, and noradrenaline
• What role does dopamine play in attention?

  It is associated with sustained attention
• What is the function of acetylcholine in attention?

  It is involved in attentional control
• How does noradrenaline influence attention?

  It is associated with alertness