Muons penetrate much further than X-rays, they do essentially zero damage, and they are provided for free by the cosmos.
Image credit: Science Source/Digital Globe.
Edited* by Dale Purves, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, and approved May 30, 2012 (received for review March 7, 2012)
Abstract
As with other cognitive phenomena that are based upon the capacity limitations of visual processing, it is thought that attentional blink (AB) cannot be eliminated, even after extensive training. We report in this paper that just 1 h of specific attentional training can completely eliminate AB, and that this effect is robust enough to persist for a few months after training. Results of subsequent behavioral and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments indicate that this learning effect is associated with improvements in temporal resolution, which are mainly due to processing in the prefrontal areas. Contrary to prior wisdom, we conclude that capacity limitations can be overcome by short-term training.
Footnotes
- ↵1To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: hoonchoi{at}bu.edu.
Author contributions: H.C., Y.S., and T.W. designed research; H.C. and L.-H.C. performed research; H.C., L.-H.C., K.S., Y.S., and T.W. analyzed data; and H.C., L.-H.C., K.S., Y.S., and T.W. wrote the paper.
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
↵*This Direct Submission article had a prearranged editor.
This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1073/pnas.1203972109/-/DCSupplemental.
Elimination of attentional blink through training
Article Classifications
- Biological Sciences
- Psychological and Cognitive Sciences
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