Neural dynamics of distraction under competition in visual cortex

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Matthias M. Müller
• Subject Area: General, Cognitive and Mathematical Psychology
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 495392039

In our previous research in neural dynamics of competitive interactions for attentional processing resources in early visual cortex we observed bi-phasic neural process of early facilitation of the attended stimulus, followed by inhibition/suppression of the then to-be-ignores one, demonstrating that shifting of attentional resources is NOT a time invariant process. The major aim of the project is to systematically investigate the neural dynamics of the observed bi-phasic process of “distraction under competition” in combination with a computational model (DUC-model). Our model integrates two of the currently most prominent frameworks in the cognitive neurosciences (i.e. sensory gain and biased competition) that have traditionally been investigated in isolation, to an integrative framework by including the important factor of time. We will use one standard design (except the last experiment) allowing for maximal comparison of results and to manipulate the two processes. To this end, we intend to manipulate either the background stream of images or difficulty of the foreground task. The last experiment introduces direct competition between emotional stimuli with a multi-modal analysis technique to further elucidate neural dynamics of these competitive interactions. To us, such an integrative framework is a significant and innovative step towards advancing our understanding of neural dynamics of distraction under competition that most certainly will not only help to understand attention/emotion competition and interaction as will be investigated with the current suggestions, but also might provide a new framework for research in other fields, such as visual search.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants