TY - JOUR
T1 - Attention to faces modulates early face processing during low but not high face discriminability
AU - Sreenivasan, Kartik K.
AU - Goldstein, Jonathan M.
AU - Lustig, Audrey G.
AU - Rivas, Luis R.
AU - Jha, Amishi P.
N1 - Funding Information:
K.K.S is supported by National Institute of Health Grant T32 MH017168
PY - 2009/5
Y1 - 2009/5
N2 - In the present study, we investigated whether attention to faces results in sensory gain modulation. Participants were cued to attend either to faces or to scenes in superimposed face-scene images for which face discriminability was manipulated parametrically. The face-sensitive N170 event-related potential component was used as a measure of early face processing. Attention to faces modulated N170 amplitude, but only when faces were not highly discriminable. Additionally, directing attention to faces modulated later processing (~230-300 msec) for all discriminability levels. These results demonstrate that attention to faces can modulate perceptual processing of faces at multiple stages of processing, including early sensory levels. Critically, the early attentional benefit is present only when the "face signal" (i.e., the perceptual quality of the face) in the environment is suboptimal.
AB - In the present study, we investigated whether attention to faces results in sensory gain modulation. Participants were cued to attend either to faces or to scenes in superimposed face-scene images for which face discriminability was manipulated parametrically. The face-sensitive N170 event-related potential component was used as a measure of early face processing. Attention to faces modulated N170 amplitude, but only when faces were not highly discriminable. Additionally, directing attention to faces modulated later processing (~230-300 msec) for all discriminability levels. These results demonstrate that attention to faces can modulate perceptual processing of faces at multiple stages of processing, including early sensory levels. Critically, the early attentional benefit is present only when the "face signal" (i.e., the perceptual quality of the face) in the environment is suboptimal.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=67650137119&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.3758/APP.71.4.837
DO - 10.3758/APP.71.4.837
M3 - Article
C2 - 19429962
AN - SCOPUS:67650137119
SN - 1943-3921
VL - 71
SP - 837
EP - 846
JO - Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics
JF - Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics
IS - 4
ER -