Payne Lisa, Sekuler Robert
The Volen Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University.
Curr Dir Psychol Sci. 2014 Jun;23(3):171-177. doi: 10.1177/0963721414529145.
Selective attention is often thought to entail an enhancement of some task-relevant stimulus or attribute. We discuss the perspective that ignoring irrelevant, distracting information plays a complementary role in information processing. Cortical oscillations within the alpha (8-14 Hz) frequency band have emerged as a marker of sensory suppression. This suppression is linked to selective attention for visual, auditory, somatic, and verbal stimuli. Inhibiting processing of irrelevant input makes responses more accurate and timely. It also helps protect material held in short-term memory against disruption. Furthermore, this selective process keeps irrelevant information from distorting the fidelity of memories. Memory is only as good as the perceptual representations on which it is based, and on whose maintenance it depends. Modulation of alpha oscillations can be exploited as an active, purposeful mechanism to help people pay attention and remember the things that matter.
选择性注意通常被认为需要增强一些与任务相关的刺激或属性。我们讨论这样一种观点，即忽略无关的、分散注意力的信息在信息处理中起着补充作用。阿尔法（8 - 14赫兹）频段内的皮层振荡已成为感觉抑制的一个标志。这种抑制与对视觉、听觉、躯体和言语刺激的选择性注意有关。抑制无关输入的处理会使反应更加准确和及时。它还有助于保护短期记忆中的内容不被干扰。此外，这种选择过程可防止无关信息扭曲记忆的保真度。记忆的好坏取决于其所基于的感知表征以及对其维持的依赖程度。对阿尔法振荡的调制可被用作一种主动、有目的的机制，以帮助人们关注并记住重要的事情。
