Attention effects on the processing of task-relevant and task-irrelevant speech sounds and letters
We used event-related brain potentials (ERPs) to study effects of selective attention on the processing of attended and unattended spoken syllables and letters. Participants were presented with syllables randomly occurring in the left or right ear and spoken by different voices and with a concurrent...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2013-12-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnins.2013.00231/full |
| _version_ | 1818943666800033792 |
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| author | Maria eMittag Karina eInauri Tatu eHuovilainen Miika eLeminen Miika eLeminen Emma eSalo Teemu eRinne Teija eKujala Teija eKujala Kimmo eAlho Kimmo eAlho |
| author_facet | Maria eMittag Karina eInauri Tatu eHuovilainen Miika eLeminen Miika eLeminen Emma eSalo Teemu eRinne Teija eKujala Teija eKujala Kimmo eAlho Kimmo eAlho |
| author_sort | Maria eMittag |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We used event-related brain potentials (ERPs) to study effects of selective attention on the processing of attended and unattended spoken syllables and letters. Participants were presented with syllables randomly occurring in the left or right ear and spoken by different voices and with a concurrent foveal stream of consonant letters written in darker or lighter fonts. During auditory phonological and non-phonological tasks, they responded to syllables in a designated ear starting with a vowel and spoken by female voices, respectively. These syllables occurred infrequently among standard syllables starting with a consonant and spoken by male voices. During visual phonological and non-phonological tasks, they responded to consonant letters with names starting with a vowel and to letters written in dark fonts, respectively. These letters occurred infrequently among standard letters with names starting with a consonant and written in light fonts. To examine genuine effects of attention and task on ERPs not overlapped by ERPs associated with target processing or deviance detection, these effects were studied only in ERPs to auditory and visual standards. During selective listening to syllables in a designated ear, ERPs to the attended syllables were negatively displaced during both phonological and non-phonological auditory tasks. Selective attention to letters elicited an early negative displacement and a subsequent positive displacement of ERPs to attended letters being larger during the visual phonological than non-phonological task suggesting a higher demand for attention during the visual phonological task. Active suppression of unattended speech during the auditory phonological and non-phonological tasks and during the visual phonological tasks was suggested by a rejection positivity to unattended syllables. We also found evidence for suppression of the processing of task-irrelevant visual stimuli in visual ERPs during auditory tasks involving left-ear syllables. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T07:30:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3c48428ca15947038a7d761566839fb5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-453X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T07:30:57Z |
| publishDate | 2013-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-3c48428ca15947038a7d761566839fb52022-12-21T19:48:25ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neuroscience1662-453X2013-12-01710.3389/fnins.2013.0023169130Attention effects on the processing of task-relevant and task-irrelevant speech sounds and lettersMaria eMittag0Karina eInauri1Tatu eHuovilainen2Miika eLeminen3Miika eLeminen4Emma eSalo5Teemu eRinne6Teija eKujala7Teija eKujala8Kimmo eAlho9Kimmo eAlho10University of HelsinkiUniversity of HelsinkiUniversity of HelsinkiUniversity of HelsinkiUniversity of JyväskyläUniversity of HelsinkiUniversity of HelsinkiUniversity of HelsinkiCicero Learning NetworkUniversity of HelsinkiUniversity of HelsinkiWe used event-related brain potentials (ERPs) to study effects of selective attention on the processing of attended and unattended spoken syllables and letters. Participants were presented with syllables randomly occurring in the left or right ear and spoken by different voices and with a concurrent foveal stream of consonant letters written in darker or lighter fonts. During auditory phonological and non-phonological tasks, they responded to syllables in a designated ear starting with a vowel and spoken by female voices, respectively. These syllables occurred infrequently among standard syllables starting with a consonant and spoken by male voices. During visual phonological and non-phonological tasks, they responded to consonant letters with names starting with a vowel and to letters written in dark fonts, respectively. These letters occurred infrequently among standard letters with names starting with a consonant and written in light fonts. To examine genuine effects of attention and task on ERPs not overlapped by ERPs associated with target processing or deviance detection, these effects were studied only in ERPs to auditory and visual standards. During selective listening to syllables in a designated ear, ERPs to the attended syllables were negatively displaced during both phonological and non-phonological auditory tasks. Selective attention to letters elicited an early negative displacement and a subsequent positive displacement of ERPs to attended letters being larger during the visual phonological than non-phonological task suggesting a higher demand for attention during the visual phonological task. Active suppression of unattended speech during the auditory phonological and non-phonological tasks and during the visual phonological tasks was suggested by a rejection positivity to unattended syllables. We also found evidence for suppression of the processing of task-irrelevant visual stimuli in visual ERPs during auditory tasks involving left-ear syllables.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnins.2013.00231/fullAttentionSpeechEEGSuppressionauditionevent-related potential |
| spellingShingle | Maria eMittag Karina eInauri Tatu eHuovilainen Miika eLeminen Miika eLeminen Emma eSalo Teemu eRinne Teija eKujala Teija eKujala Kimmo eAlho Kimmo eAlho Attention effects on the processing of task-relevant and task-irrelevant speech sounds and letters Frontiers in Neuroscience Attention Speech EEG Suppression audition event-related potential |
| title | Attention effects on the processing of task-relevant and task-irrelevant speech sounds and letters |
| title_full | Attention effects on the processing of task-relevant and task-irrelevant speech sounds and letters |
| title_fullStr | Attention effects on the processing of task-relevant and task-irrelevant speech sounds and letters |
| title_full_unstemmed | Attention effects on the processing of task-relevant and task-irrelevant speech sounds and letters |
| title_short | Attention effects on the processing of task-relevant and task-irrelevant speech sounds and letters |
| title_sort | attention effects on the processing of task relevant and task irrelevant speech sounds and letters |
| topic | Attention Speech EEG Suppression audition event-related potential |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnins.2013.00231/full |
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