Auditory frequency and location processing in an attention-switching paradigm: Evidence of distinct early selection mechanisms

"Four experiments were designed to address a number of questions concerning the mechanisms underlying auditory selective attention as well as the relationship of components of the Event-Related Potential (ERP) to these filtering processes. Specifically, Nataanen's ""attentional trace theory"" postulates that a common sensory memory based mechanism indexed by the Negative difference (Nd) wave is responsible for the stimulus-set filtering of all auditory attributes. An attention-switching paradigm was developed to test a specific prediction of Nataanen's model--that stimulus-set filtering should be impossible for the first relevant stimulus of a sequence before the corresponding information exists in sensory memory. While evidence in support of Nataanen's model was obtained for the filtering of frequency information, a distinct mechanism was implicated for the filtering of location information. The data were also examined for evidence in support of Kubovy's ""indispensable attribute theory"" which posits that subjects should be more likely to aggregate auditory information on the basis of frequency than location information. Contrary to Kubovy's prediction, in all four experiments, any time the data indicated a filtering bias towards a particular dimension, superior processing of location information was obtained."

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2011

Author dc:creator

• Sirevaag, Erik John

Contributors dc:contributor

• Kramer, Arthur F.

• Psychology, Experimental

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 1992 Sirevaag, Erik John

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(UMI)AAI9215884
AAI9215884

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/19606