Top–down and bottom–up control of visual selection

The present paper argues for the notion that when attention is spread across the visual field in the first sweep of information through the brain visual selection is completely stimulus-driven. Only later in time, through recurrent feedback processing, volitional control based on expectancy and goal...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Acta psychologica Vol. 135; no. 2; pp. 77 - 99
Main Author: Theeuwes, Jan
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Kidlington Elsevier B.V 01.10.2010
Elsevier
Subjects:
Activity levels. Psychomotricity
Animals
Attention
Attention - physiology
Biological and medical sciences
Bottom–up control
Brain Mapping
Cues
Evoked Potentials, Visual - physiology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Haplorhini
Humans
Models, Psychological
Perception
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Set (Psychology)
Top–down control
Vigilance. Attention. Sleep
Vision
Visual Perception - physiology
Volition
Bottom–up control
2346
Top–down control
Attention
Human
Bottom-up control
Selective attention
Top-down control
Information processing
Perception
Critical study
Cognition
Review
Visual attention
Cognitive control
ISSN:0001-6918, 1873-6297, 1873-6297
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The present paper argues for the notion that when attention is spread across the visual field in the first sweep of information through the brain visual selection is completely stimulus-driven. Only later in time, through recurrent feedback processing, volitional control based on expectancy and goal set will bias visual selection in a top–down manner. Here we review behavioral evidence as well as evidence from ERP, fMRI, TMS and single cell recording consistent with stimulus-driven selection. Alternative viewpoints that assume a large role for top–down processing are discussed. It is argued that in most cases evidence supporting top–down control on visual selection in fact demonstrates top–down control on processes occurring later in time, following initial selection. We conclude that top–down knowledge regarding non-spatial features of the objects cannot alter the initial selection priority. Only by adjusting the size of the attentional window, the initial sweep of information through the brain may be altered in a top–down way.
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ISSN:0001-6918
1873-6297
1873-6297
DOI:10.1016/j.actpsy.2010.02.006