Divided Attention and Reinforcement Variables

分散注意力和强化变量

• 批准号: 7094158
• 负责人: Timothy A Shahan
• 金额: $ 14.83万
• 依托单位: UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-07-15 至 2008-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7094158
• 关键词: attention; behavior prediction; behavior test; behavioral /social science research tag; bias; choice; operant conditionings; pigeons; reinforcer; statistics /biometry; stimulus /response; visual stimulus

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Problems in the allocation and persistence of attention occur in various psychological disorders (e.g., ADHD, autism, schizophrenia, and drug abuse). Attention appears to be in part a voluntary skill, but little is known about the role of differential consequences in the control of attention. Quantitative theories of voluntary (i.e., operant) behavior describe how differential consequences modulate the allocation and persistence of behavior, and may be applicable to attention. The matching law suggests that the allocation of behavior to two options equals the distribution of reinforcers obtained from the options. Behavioral momentum theory suggests that the persistence of behavior in the presence of a stimulus is governed by the rate of reinforcement obtained in that presence of that stimulus. This research aims to examine the applicability of these theories to the control of attention by differential consequences in an animal model. A procedure will be used in which pigeons are presented with samples comprised of two elements (color and line orientation) and then required to chose one of the elements from two element comparison stimuli (two colors or lines). Accurate performance requires the division of attention between the two elements of the sample. Change in accuracy will be used to measure the allocation and persistence of attending to each of the elements in the compound sample. The specific aims of this research are: 1) to determine if the allocation of attention to an element of a compound stimulus varies as a function of the relative distribution of reinforcement for attending to that element. 2) To examine the effects of differential reinforcement on the persistence of attending in the face of disruption. 3) To begin an analysis of the mechanisms through which differential reinforcement affects divided attention performance. The development of quantitative theories describing the role of differential consequences in the control of attention may lead to more effective behavioral interventions for disorders associated with problems in the allocation and persistence of attention.

描述（由申请人提供）：注意力分配和持续性问题发生在各种心理障碍（例如多动症、自闭症、精神分裂症和药物滥用）中。注意力似乎在某种程度上是一种自愿技能，但人们对不同后果在注意力控制中的作用知之甚少。自愿（即操作）行为的定量理论描述了不同的后果如何调节行为的分配和持久性，并且可能适用于注意力。匹配法则表明，两个选项的行为分配等于从选项中获得的强化物的分布。行为动量理论表明，存在刺激时行为的持续性取决于存在该刺激时获得的强化率。本研究旨在检验这些理论在动物模型中通过不同后果控制注意力的适用性。将使用一种程序，向鸽子呈现由两种元素（颜色和线条方向）组成的样本，然后要求从两种元素比较刺激（两种颜色或线条）中选择一种元素。准确的表现需要在样本的两个元素之间分配注意力。准确性的变化将用于衡量关注复合样本中每个元素的分配和持久性。这项研究的具体目标是：1）确定对复合刺激中某个元素的注意力分配是否会随着关注该元素的强化相对分布而变化。 2）检验差异强化对面对干扰时持续参与的影响。 3）开始分析差异强化影响分散注意力表现的机制。描述不同后果在注意力控制中的作用的定量理论的发展可能会导致对与注意力分配和持续性问题相关的疾病进行更有效的行为干预。