Faculty of Science: Dissociating Sensory Adaptation and Inhibition of Return

27 September 2017 (Venue : BA06)

Name : Alfred Lim – School of Psychology

Chairperson : Dr Steve Janssen

Evaluator : Dr Steve Janssen

Title : Dissociating Sensory Adaptation and Inhibition of Return

Abstract :
Inhibition of return (IOR) refers to an orienting mechanism that biases attention against returning to previously attended locations in order to facilitate novelty seeking. Similarly, sensory adaptation is another inhibitory mechanism that slows responses at a previously attended location. In a series of behavioural experiments using both peripheral onset and central arrow stimuli, we examined the time course of both IOR and sensory adaptation. Results clearly demonstrated that sensory adaptation occurs only at short presentation intervals when there is repeated stimulation at the same spatial location, whereas IOR occurs at longer intervals regardless of stimulus type. In order to provide an explicit theoretical framework describing these attentional mechanisms, we have also simulated the behavioural results using a two-dimensional dynamic neural field model of the superior colliculus. In addition to reproducing the behavioural results, this model also generates a number of predictions to drive further empirical work