Attention and platypuses. Issue 1 (20th April 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Shomstein, Sarah; Zhang, Xiaoli; Dubbelde, Dick
• Other Names: Wu Wayne guestEditor.; Fischer Anna guestEditor.
• Is Part Of: Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Volume 14:Issue 1(2023)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2022-04-20
• Subjects: attentional selection -- attentional weighting -- dynamic prioritization; Cognitive science -- Periodicals; 153.05
• DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1600
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1939-5086

Abstract

Abstract: This perspective piece discusses a set of attentional phenomena that are not easily accommodated within current theories of attentional selection. We call these phenomena attentional platypuses, as they allude to an observation that within biological taxonomies the platypus does not fit into either mammal or bird categories. Similarly, attentional phenomena that do not fit neatly within current attentional models suggest that current models are in need of a revision. We list a few instances of the "attentional platypuses" and then offer a new approach, that we term dynamically weighted prioritization, stipulating that multiple factors impinge onto the attentional priority map, each with a corresponding weight. The interaction between factors and their corresponding weights determines the current state of the priority map which subsequently constrains/guides attentional allocation. We propose that this new approach should be considered as a supplement to existing models of attention, especially those that emphasize categorical organizations. This article is categorized under: Psychology > Attention Psychology > Perception and Psychophysics Neuroscience > Cognition Abstract : This figure is a graphical representation of attentional phenomena, termed here as attentional platypuses, that do not easily fit into current models of attentional control. Used here as an example is the tri‐factor model of attention (Awh et al., 2013?) depicting the top‐down, bottom‐up, and hysteresis influences on attentional selection. Factors which affect attentional selection that are not easily accommodated by the tri‐factor model (e.g., task‐irrelevant semantic guidance, attentional strategies) are represented by the platypuses. Attentional phenomena that do not fit neatly within current attentional models suggest that current models are in need of a revision.