Learning to Attend and to Ignore Is a Matter of Gains and Losses
Abstract
Efficient goal-directed behavior in a crowded world is crucially mediated by visual selective attention (VSA), which regulates deployment of cognitive resources toward selected, behaviorally relevant visual objects. Acting as a filter on perceptual representations, VSA allows preferential processing of relevant objects and concurrently inhibits traces of irrelevant items, thus preventing harmful distraction. Recent evidence showed that monetary rewards for performance on VSA tasks strongly affect immediately subsequent deployment of attention; a typical aftereffect of VSA (negative priming) was found only following highly rewarded selections. Here we report a much more striking demonstration that the controlled delivery of monetary rewards also affects attentional processing several days later. Thus, the propensity to select or to ignore specific visual objects appears to be strongly biased by the more or less rewarding consequences of past attentional encounters with the same objects.
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Few studies have examined the impact of reward on early cognitive processes, such as visual perception and attention.
“Reward plays a fundamental role in human cognition, but surprisingly few studies have examined the impact of reward on early cognitive processes, such as visual perception and attention (but see Della Libera and Chelazzi, 2009).”
From Reward Changes Salience in Human Vision via the Anterior Cingulate (2010) · cites this paper as Della Libera and Chelazzi, 2009
In Della Libera and Chelazzi (2009), performance during the test session was modulated as a function of the specific role of the shapes during the training session.
“The results showed that performance during the test session was modulated as a function of the specific role of the shapes during the training session.”
From Selection history: How reward modulates selectivity of visual attention. (2018) · cites this paper as Della Libera & Chelazzi, 2009
"Attentional suppression responses" can be learned in a way akin to instrumental conditioning.
“At least one study demonstrated that “attentional suppression responses” can be learned in a way akin to instrumental conditioning (Della Libera & Chelazzi, 2009).”
From Selection history: How reward modulates selectivity of visual attention. (2018) · cites this paper as Della Libera & Chelazzi, 2009
When attentional suppression of a specific stimulus was rewarded during training, that stimulus was also more efficiently suppressed during a test session.
“when attentional suppression of a specific stimulus was rewarded during training, that stimulus was also more efficiently suppressed during a test session.”
From Selection history: How reward modulates selectivity of visual attention. (2018) · cites this paper as Della Libera & Chelazzi, 2009
A distinction between Pavlovian and instrumental associations has been demonstrated in behavioral studies.
“A distinction between both has been demonstrated in behavioral studies (Della Libera & Chelazzi, 2009; Le Pelley et al., 2015; see also Chelazzi et al., 2013)”
From Selection history: How reward modulates selectivity of visual attention. (2018) · cites this paper as Della Libera & Chelazzi, 2009
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Della Libera, C., & Chelazzi, L.
- Affiliations
- Department of Neurological and Vision Sciences, Section of Human Physiology, University of Verona, and National Institute of Neuroscience, Verona, Italy
- University of Verona (IT)
- Corresponding author
- Chelazzi, Leonardo
- ORCID
- Chelazzi, Leonardo
- Venue
- Psychological Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2009-06
- Volume
- 20
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 778-784
- ISSN
- 0956-7976 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-9280
- OpenAlex
- W2079448742
- Cited by
- 329
- References
- 36
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 22 · 2020: 32 · 2019: 22 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 26 · 2016: 34 · 2015: 32 · 2014: 33 · 2013: 21 · 2012: 19
- FWCI
- 5.67
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition › Visual Attention and Saliency Detection
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
- Keywords
- visual selective attention, negative priming, monetary rewards, attentional inhibition, goal-directed behavior, distraction
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Association Learning, Attention, Choice Behavior, Female, Humans, Male, Motivation, Pattern Recognition, Visual, Reaction Time, Retention, Psychology, Reward, Feedback, Psychological, Young Adult
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