Hemispheric biases and the control of visuospatial attention: an ERP study

Banich Marie T; Spencer Kevin M · 2005 · DOAJ

DOI: 10.1186/1471-2202-6-51

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Summary

This study investigates whether individual differences in hemispheric utilization bias interact with the intrinsic attentional biases of the cerebral hemispheres to influence visuospatial attention. The authors hypothesized that because the left hemisphere (LH) possesses a stronger intrinsic bias to direct attention to the contralateral (right) visual field than the right hemisphere (RH), individuals with a characteristic LH utilization bias would exhibit an enhanced rightward attentional bias. Consequently, these individuals were predicted to experience greater difficulty selectively attending to targets in the left visual field (LVF) while ignoring distractors in the right visual field (RVF). To test this, the researchers employed a bilateral Eriksen flanker task combined with event-related potential (ERP) recording. Participants responded to target stimuli in one hemifield while ignoring simultaneous flanking distractors in the opposite hemifield. Flankers were either compatible or incompatible with the target response. The attended hemifield was varied across blocks. Participants were categorized into LH-bias or RH-bias groups based on their performance on the Chimeric Faces Test (CFT), which measures characteristic perceptual asymmetry. The study focused on the N2c ERP component, which reflects response conflict, rather than early sensory components, to assess late-stage interhemispheric competition. The results supported the hypothesis for the LH-bias group. These individuals exhibited significantly higher error rates and larger N2c amplitudes when attending to the LVF and encountering incompatible flankers in the RVF, compared to when attending to the RVF. This interaction between attention direction and flanker compatibility was statistically significant for the LH-bias group but absent in the RH-bias group. Furthermore, the magnitude of the error rate effect in the LH-bias group was positively correlated with the degree of their LH utilization bias as measured by the CFT. No significant interactions were found for reaction times or for the RH-bias group, suggesting the RH’s weaker intrinsic bias did not produce comparable effects. The findings conclude that hemispheric utilization bias can enhance a hemisphere’s intrinsic contralateral attentional bias, particularly for the LH. This suggests that interhemispheric competition for spatial attention control occurs at a late, response-related stage of processing. The study implies that hemispheric utilization bias plays a significant, previously underrecognized role in visuospatial attention, potentially explaining individual variability in attentional performance and offering insights into the mechanisms underlying conditions like hemispatial neglect.

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