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Exploring the modulation of information processing by task context

Heisterberg, Lisa M
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1619132418196402

Abstract Details

2021, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Neuroscience Graduate Studies Program.
Tasks in everyday life are not completed in isolation. We each uniquely maneuver in an environment rich with information that undoubtedly influences our behaviors. For example, searching for your keys in the kitchen does not happen in the absence of drawers, counter tops, plates on the table, a stack of mail etc. Rather this contextual information can influence your search. This dissertation is focused on exploring how the contexts we are exposed to during a task can affect how information is processed, and eventually behavioral outcomes. Two specific types of context will be explored: spatial and Gestalt grouping cues. Additionally, due to individual differences in task context utilization, I sought to explore a method that could be used to study brain-behavior relationships. The first study examines how context may not be learned when faced with increased task demands. When exposed to the same spatial layout of a target and distractors on a computer screen multiple times, participants become faster at finding the target when searching through repeated displays, i.e. the contextual cueing effect. However, when a secondary task had to be completed immediately after the search task, subjects did not always exhibit the expected search facilitation for repeated displays. It is speculated that the attenuation of cueing due to the secondary task results from attentional resources being redirected during the critical consolidation period after the search concludes. Thus, a spatial context was not always able to influence performance. The second study examines how individuals can overcome visual working memory capacity limitations through the use of an illusory grouping context. Illusory objects like the Kanizsa triangle, have been shown to produce benefits to visual working memory performance, possibly by allowing the inducers forming the object to be perceived as an individual unit rather than separate distractors, but it was unknown exactly how the triangle led to behavioral improvements. Through an EEG study utilizing the contralateral delay activity to measure the number of items held in visual working memory, it was found that while the illusory triangle improved behavioral performance on a change detection task, the triangle did not lead to a reduction in CDA amplitude. However, it is speculated that a reduced CDA amplitude may have arisen if more time was provided to attentionally select the triangle, and develop an efficient visual working memory encoding strategy. Finally, due to individual differences in cognitive processes related to context processing like working memory and attention, I sought to explore the utility of a method to explore brain-behavior relationships. Connectome based predictive modeling (CPM) has been shown to be successful at predicting individual differences in behavior from whole brain functional connectivity. However, just how successful this method was for a range of phenotypic measures and what factors could influence that success was unknown. I found that CPM was overall 18% successful at producing predictive models, but this number varied widely depending on the type of imaging data used, the type of measure being predicted, and the sample size used to construct the model. For example, doing a task in the scanner produced better model predictions than resting state only scans. In addition, a higher sample size led to better predictions, but more scan data did not. By examining models that predicted measures related to context processing like attention, long-term and working memory, and inhibitory control, I was able to gain insight into context processing and the possible underlying cognitive and anatomical features. In the end, I hope the results of this chapter can aid others in construction of their own CPMs. Overall, this dissertation explores how context can modulate the processing of information, factors that can impact this modulation, and investigates a neuroimaging method for assessing individual differences.
Andrew Leber, PhD (Advisor)
Julie Golomb, PhD (Committee Member)
Benedetta Leuner, PhD (Committee Member)
Zeynep Saygin, PhD (Committee Member)
396 p.
Cognitive Psychology; Neurosciences; Psychology
context; predictive modeling; individual differences; information processing; visual working memory; long-term memory; Gestalt; illusory object; contextual cueing; visual working memory capacity; contralateral delay activity; functional connectivity

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Citations

  • Heisterberg, L. M. (2021). Exploring the modulation of information processing by task context [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1619132418196402

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Heisterberg, Lisa. Exploring the modulation of information processing by task context. 2021. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1619132418196402.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Heisterberg, Lisa. "Exploring the modulation of information processing by task context." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1619132418196402

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1619132418196402
141
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.