Multivariate analysis of EEG activity indexes contingent attentional capture

Munneke, Jaap; Fahrenfort, Johannes Jacobus; Sutterer, David; Theeuwes, Jan; Awh, Edward · 2021 · DOAJ

DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117562

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Summary

This study investigates the neural mechanisms underlying contingent attentional capture, addressing the debate between stimulus-driven (bottom-up) and goal-driven (top-down) accounts of attention. While previous research established that attention is captured by salient stimuli matching current target templates, the temporal dynamics and distinct neural processes involved remain unclear. The authors aimed to provide a time-resolved index of attentional orienting by analyzing both phase-locked raw EEG activity and non-phase-locked alpha-band power, allowing for the separation of early evoked responses from sustained spatial selection. The experiment involved 29 participants who performed a visual search task where they identified a target defined by color. Prior to the target display, a spatially uninformative singleton cue was presented, which either matched the target color (contingent) or did not (non-contingent). This design controlled for bottom-up salience while isolating the effects of top-down goal relevance. The researchers employed multivariate analysis techniques, specifically backward decoding models (BDM) and forward encoding models (FEM), to track the locus of covert attention across eight possible locations. These methods allowed for precise spatiotemporal tracking of neural activity from cue onset through the inter-stimulus interval, distinguishing between transient phase-locked signals and sustained induced alpha power fluctuations. The results revealed that both contingent and non-contingent cues elicited preferential neural tuning to their locations, but with a stronger bias toward contingent cues. Crucially, the time course of this capture differed depending on the neural signal analyzed. Raw EEG data indicated that attentional orienting toward contingent cues occurred early in the trial, emerging approximately 156 ms after cue onset. In contrast, alpha-band power revealed sustained spatial selection at cued locations at a later stage, emerging after 250 ms. While raw EEG showed a stronger advantage for contingent cues during the early window, the advantage for contingent cues in alpha activity arose during the later time window. Behavioral data supported these findings, showing a significant spatial validity effect for contingent cues but not for non-contingent ones. These findings suggest that raw EEG activity and alpha-band power tap into distinct neural processes that index separate aspects of covert spatial attention. The early phase-locked response likely reflects the initial, automatic orienting of attention, while the later sustained alpha modulation reflects the maintenance of spatial selection. By demonstrating divergent time courses for these signals, the study provides evidence that contingent capture involves multiple neural components with different functional roles, offering a more nuanced understanding of how top-down goals influence attentional allocation over time.

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• attention selective divided