Despite myriad challenges, clinicians see room for progress.
Image credit: Shutterstock/David Tadevosian.
New Research In
Physical Sciences
Featured Portals
Articles by Topic
Biological Sciences
Featured Portals
Articles by Topic
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
Sign up for Article Alerts
Article Classifications
- Biological Sciences
- Psychological and Cognitive Sciences
Jump to section
You May Also be Interested in
Better explicating the strengths and shortcomings of these models will help refine projections and improve transparency in the years ahead.
Image credit: Witsawat.S.
Using CRISPR, researchers showed that a region some used to label “junk DNA” has a major role in a rare genetic disorder.
Image credit: Nathan Devery.
Mara Reed and Michael Manga explore why Yellowstone's Steamboat Geyser resumed erupting in 2018.
A study demonstrates how two enzymes—MHETase and PETase—work synergistically to depolymerize the plastic pollutant PET.
Image credit: Aaron McGeehan (artist).