Cognitive neuroscience studies of attentional control mechanisms: Active suppression of task-irrelevant information

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K21005
• Project/Area Number (Other): 18H05813 (2018)
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund (2019); Single-year Grants (2018)
• Review Section: 0110:Psychology and related fields
• Research Institution: Osaka University (2020-2021); National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (2019); Kobe University (2018)
• Principal Investigator: Kawashima Tomoya 大阪大学, 人間科学研究科, 助教 (70825851)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-08-24 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 視覚的注意 / 抑制 / 脳波 / 事象関連電位 / 視覚探索

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Visual attention, a human cognitive function, plays an important role in selecting necessary information and suppressing unnecessary information in a complex visual environment. In this study, we examined the cognitive function in which the facilitation and inhibition of attention work in a coordinated manner and clarified the following two points. First, we confirmed the existence of a mechanism that uses information to be ignored as a cue and actively suppresses unnecessary information. Second, we proposed the possibility that attention facilitation and inhibition are not used simultaneously, but depend on participants' strategies.

Free Research Field

認知心理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

注意の促進と抑制を比較したこれまでの研究は、両者の効果の違いを報告するのみにとどまっていることが多かった。本研究で確立した実験パラダイムにより、注意の促進と抑制は単に同じ機能の異なる側面を見ているのではなく、両者が異なる機能に由来することが示唆された。注意の抑制機能は加齢によって低下すると考えられており、本研究で得られた知見はヒトの認知制御機構の解明に向けた基礎的な資料を提供した。