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Cited by 444Visual perception and processing mechanismsVisual Attention and Saliency DetectionNeural and Behavioral Psychology Studies

Top-down and bottom-up mechanisms in biasing competition in the human brain

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Beck, Diane M., Kastner, Sabine·2009·Vision Research
DOI 10.1016/j.visres.2008.07.012PMC PMC2740806
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Abstract

The biased competition theory of selective attention has been an influential neural theory of attention, motivating numerous animal and human studies of visual attention and visual representation. There is now neural evidence in favor of all three of its most basic principles: that representation in the visual system is competitive; that both top-down and bottom-up biasing mechanisms influence the ongoing competition; and that competition is integrated across brain systems. We review the evidence in favor of these three principles, and in particular, findings related to six more specific neural predictions derived from these original principles.

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  • Enhanced processing makes the selected representation more likely to impact memory.

    “The apple is also more likely to impact memory, allowing it to be recalled later and affect future behavior.”

    From The Attention Schema Theory: A Foundation for Engineering Artificial Consciousness (2017) · cites this paper as Beck and Kastner, 2009

    Section 3.1 (page unavailable) says directed attention enhances processing of stimuli at the attended location. The paper does not establish the further claim that a selected object is more likely to be remembered, recalled later, or affect future behavior; its discussion of working memory in Section 5 concerns attentional templates rather than that outcome. (LLM, conf=0.83)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Signals in the brain can be selectively enhanced.

    “Signals in the brain can be selectively enhanced.”

    From The Attention Schema Theory: A Foundation for Engineering Artificial Consciousness (2017) · cites this paper as Beck and Kastner, 2009

  • Enhanced processing makes the selected representation more likely to affect behavioral decision-making.

    “It is therefore more likely to affect behavioral decision-making.”

    From The Attention Schema Theory: A Foundation for Engineering Artificial Consciousness (2017) · cites this paper as Beck and Kastner, 2009

  • The phenomenon outlined matches at least some uses of the term attention, especially as described by the neuroscientific 'biased competition' theory of attention.

    “The phenomenon I outline below matches at least some uses of the term attention, especially as described by the neuroscientific, 'biased competition' theory of attention (Desimone and Duncan, 1995; Beck and Kastner, 2009).”

    From The Attention Schema Theory: A Foundation for Engineering Artificial Consciousness (2017) · cites this paper as Beck and Kastner, 2009

  • Enhanced processing makes the selected representation more likely to affect other systems throughout the brain.

    “It is also more likely to affect other systems throughout the brain, beyond the visual system.”

    From The Attention Schema Theory: A Foundation for Engineering Artificial Consciousness (2017) · cites this paper as Beck and Kastner, 2009

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Research works printed but not linked: 70

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Beck, D. M., & Kastner, S.
Affiliations
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
Corresponding author
Beck, Diane M.
ORCID
Beck, Diane M.
Venue
Vision Research
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2009-06
Volume
49
Issue
10
Pages
1154-1165
ISSN
0042-6989 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.visres.2008.07.012
PMC
PMC2740806
OpenAlex
W2145419885
Cited by
444
References
6
Citations by year
2026: 15 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 27 · 2023: 24 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 30 · 2020: 36 · 2019: 29 · 2018: 27 · 2017: 25 · 2016: 27 · 2015: 21 · 2014: 26 · 2013: 30 · 2012: 26
FWCI
10.54
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Vision Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation (0633281)
  • National Institutes of Health (2r01ey017699-14)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R01-MH64043, P50 MH62196, MH64043, MH62196, P50MH062196, R03MH082012, R01MH064043)
  • National Eye Institute (R01EY-017699, RO1-EY017699)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition › Visual Attention and Saliency Detection
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
Keywords
biased competition, selective attention, top-down control, bottom-up control, visual attention, visual representation
MeSH terms
Attention, Brain Mapping, Field Dependence-Independence, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Neurons, Photic Stimulation, Psychophysics, Visual Cortex

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