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Crossmodal links in spatial attention are mediated by supramodal control processes: Evidence from event-related potentials

Eimer, Martin and Van Velzen, Jose L.. 2002. Crossmodal links in spatial attention are mediated by supramodal control processes: Evidence from event-related potentials. Psychophysiology, 39, pp. 437-449. ISSN 0048-5772 [Article]

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Abstract or Description

Abstract: Cross-modal links in spatial attention were studied in an experiment where participants had to detect peripheral tactile or visual targets on the attended side, while ignoring all stimuli on the unattended side and in the currently irrelevant modality. Both relevant locations and relevant modalities were specified on a trial-by-trial basis by auditory precues. Spatial orienting in the cue-target interval was reflected in anterior negativities and occipital positivities contralateral to the cued side, either when vision or touch was cued as relevant. These effects resembled previously reported ERP modulations during shifts of visual attention, implicating supramodal mechanisms in the control of spatial attention and demonstrating their independence of cue modality. Early effects of spatial attention on somatosensory and visual ERPs were of equivalent size for currently relevant and irrelevant modalities. Results support the idea that crossmodal links in spatial attention are mediated by supramodal control mechanisms.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Visual-spatial attention;Tactile-spatial attention;Crossmodal attention;Attentional control;Event-related brain potentials
Departments, Centres and Research Units: Psychology > Cognitive Neuroscience Unit
Item ID: 6553
Date Deposited: 10 Feb 2012 15:28
Last Modified: 10 Feb 2012 15:28
URI: http://eprints.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/6553

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