Early selective attention effects on cutaneous and acoustic blink reflexes

摘要: In two experiments, selective modulation of the human blink reflex was examined by direct­ ing subjects to judge duration startling or nonstartling member an acoustic-cutaneous stimulus pair. The acoustic in first experiment and cutaneous second. both magnitude onset latency were facilitated when attended rather than away from reflex-eliciting stimulus, although changes size insignificant. However, a nonselective inhibition on warned relative unwarned trials, associated with facilitation reflex, stronger effect. existence selective, concordant nonselective, discordant could not be explained single mechanism. Heart rate also suggested that warning initiated some process addition attention intake. predictability events may playa larger role has previously been recognized. Can modulate early phases in­ formation processing or, instead, is sensory pro­ cessing ignored stimuli identical stimuli? Behavioral evidence able resolve issue favor either early­ selection (Broadbent, 1958; Treisman, 1969) late­ theories (Deutsch & Deutsch, 1963; Norman, 1968). Studies evoked brain potentials human, however, have commonly supported early-selection view (e.g., Desmedt Robertson, 1977; Eason, Oakley, Flowers, 1983; Hillyard, Hink, Schwent, Picton, 1973). general finding toward which directed differ unattended as 50 100 msec. On basis such differences,. Hillyard (1981) interpreted findings being dependent upon tonic prestimulus set active recognition each Naatanen (1982) similarly state "already prevailing" at moment de­ livery. assumed produce "tem­ porary bias somewhere system" (Naatanen, 1982, p. 629).