The effect of considering eye movement time in evaluating the efficiency of attentional networks

Abstract

The attention network test (ANT) is a tool for assessing the executive, alerting, and orienting components of attention. However, conflicting findings exist regarding the nature and correlation between attention networks. This study aims to investigate the influence of eye movement time on the assessment of attention network efficiency. Forty male students, with an average age of 20.8 ± 1.3 years, participated in the study. The revised attention network test was conducted concurrently with the recording of the electrooculogram signal. The electrooculogram signal was used to estimate eye placement time on target stimuli. Considering eye movement time for calculating the score of each network was proposed as a novel method. The study explored the nature of attention networks and their relationships, and revealed significant effects for attention networks with and without considering the eye movement time. Additionally, a significant correlation is observed between the alerting and orienting networks. However, no significant correlation is found between attention networks using the proposed method. Considering eye movement time alters the assessment of attention network efficiency and modifies the correlation among attention networks.

Keywords

alerting / attention / executive / eye movement / orienting

References

[1] Barclay, N. L., Rowley, S., Robson, A., Akram, U., & Myachykov, A. (2020). Sleep duration, sleep variability, and impairments of visual attention. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 73(6), 868–880.

[2] Callejas, A., Lupiánez, J., & Tudela, P. (2004). The three attentional networks: On their independence and interactions. Brain and Cognition, 54(3), 225–227.

[3] de Souza Almeida, R., Faria, A., Jr., & Klein, R. M. (2021). On the origins and evolution of the attention network tests. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 126, 560–572.

[4] Delorme, A., & Makeig, S. (2004). EEGLAB: An open source toolbox for analysis of single-trial EEG dynamics including independent component analysis. Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 134(1), 9–21.

[5] Eriksen, B. A., & Eriksen, C. W. (1974). Effects of noise letters upon the identification of a target letter in a nonsearch task. Perception & Psychophysics, 16(1), 143–149.

[6] Fan, J., Byrne, J., Worden, M. S., Guise, K. G., McCandliss, B. D., Fossella, J., & Posner, M. I. (2007). The relation of brain oscillations to attentional networks. Journal of Neuroscience, 27(23), 6197–6206.

[7] Fan, J., Gu, X., Guise, K. G., Liu, X., Fossella, J., Wang, H., & Posner, M. I. (2009). Testing the behavioral interaction and integration of attentional networks. Brain and Cognition, 70(2), 209–220.

[8] Fan, J., McCandliss, B. D., Fossella, J., Flombaum, J. I., & Posner, M. I. (2005). The activation of attentional networks. NeuroImage, 26(2), 471–479.

[9] Fan, J., McCandliss, B. D., Sommer, T., Raz, A., & Posner, M. I. (2002). Testing the efficiency and independence of attentional networks. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 14(3), 340–347.

[10] Fan, J., & Posner, M. (2004). Human attentional networks. Psychiatrische Praxis, 31(S2), 210–214.

[11] Fan, J., Wu, Y., Fossella, J. A., & Posner, M. I. (2001). Assessing the heritability of attentional networks. BMC Neuroscience, 2(1), 1–7.

[12] Fossella, J., Posner, M. I., Fan, J., Swanson, J. M., & Pfaff, D. W. (2002). Attentional phenotypes for the analysis of higher mental function. Scientific World Journal, 2, 217–223.

[13] Fossella, J., Sommer, T., Fan, J., Wu, Y., Swanson, J. M., Pfaff, D. W., & Posner, M. I. (2002). Assessing the molecular genetics of attention networks. BMC Neuroscience, 3(1), 1–11.

[14] Fuentes, L. J., & Campoy, G. (2008). The time course of alerting effect over orienting in the attention network test. Experimental Brain Research, 185(4), 667–672.

[15] Gooding, D. C., Braun, J. G., & Studer, J. A. (2006). Attentional network task performance in patients with schizophrenia–spectrum disorders: Evidence of a specific deficit. Schizophrenia Research, 88(1–3), 169–178.

[16] Huang, W., Zhang, L., Sun, Y., Chen, F., & Wang, K. (2021). The prediction analysis of autistic and schizotypal traits in attentional networks. Psychiatry Investigation, 18(5), 417–425.

[17] Ishigami, Y., Eskes, G. A., Tyndall, A. V., Longman, R. S., Drogos, L. L., & Poulin, M. J. (2016). The attention network test-interaction (ANT-I): Reliability and validity in healthy older adults. Experimental Brain Research, 234(3), 815–827.

[18] Ishigami, Y., & Klein, R. M. (2010). Repeated measurement of the components of attention using two versions of the attention network test (ANT): Stability, isolability, robustness, and reliability. Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 190(1), 117–128.

[19] Jeong, G. M. (2021). An Ecological Validation of the Child Attention Network Test (CANT) in Korea Doctoral dissertation, Jeju National University, Jeju, South Korea.

[20] Jin, Y.-R., & Lin, L.-Y. (2022). Relationship between touchscreen tablet usage time and attention performance in young children. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 54, 317–326.

[21] Kalia, V., Thomas, R., Osowski, K., & Drew, A. (2018). Staying alert? Neural correlates of the association between grit and attention networks. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1377.

[22] Kleiner, M., Brainard, D., Pelli, D., Ingling, A., Murray, R., & Broussard, C. (2007). What’s new in psychtoolbox-3? Perception, 36(14), 1–16.

[23] Kulke, L. V., Atkinson, J., & Braddick, O. (2016). Neural differences between covert and overt attention studied using EEG with simultaneous remote eye tracking. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 10, 592.

[24] LaCroix, A. N., Tully, M., & Rogalsky, C. (2021). Assessment of alerting, orienting, and executive control in persons with aphasia using the attention network test. Aphasiology, 35(10), 1318–1333.

[25] Langner, R., Scharnowski, F., Ionta, S., Salmon, G. C. E., Piper, B. J., & Pamplona, G. S. (2023). Evaluation of the reliability and validity of computerized tests of attention. PLoS ONE, 18(1), e0281196.

[26] Lehtonen, S. E. (2007). Self-reported inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity as predictors of attention network efficiency, DPhil dissertation. Georgia State University.

[27] Luna, F. G., Roca, J., Martín-Arévalo, E., & Lupiáñez, J. (2021). Measuring attention and vigilance in the laboratory vs. online: The split-half reliability of the ANTI-Vea. Behavior Research Methods, 53(3), 1124–1147.

[28] Mackie, M.-A., Van Dam, N. T., & Fan, J. (2013). Cognitive control and attentional functions. Brain and Cognition, 82(3), 301–312.

[29] MacLeod, J. W., Lawrence, M. A., McConnell, M. M., Eskes, G. A., Klein, R. M., & Shore, D. I. (2010). Appraising the ANT: Psychometric and theoretical considerations of the attention network test. Neuropsychology, 24(5), 637–651.

[30] Markett, S., Nothdurfter, D., Focsa, A., Reuter, M., & Jawinski, P. (2022). Attention networks and the intrinsic network structure of the human brain. Human Brain Mapping, 43(4), 1431–1448.

[31] McConnell, M. M., & Shore, D. I. (2011). Mixing measures: Testing an assumption of the attention network test. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 73(4), 1096–1107.

[32] Medina, D., & Barraza, P. (2019). Efficiency of attentional networks in musicians and non-musicians. Heliyon, 5(3), e01315.

[33] Noh, S. R., Larcom, M. J., Liu, X., & Isaacowitz, D. M. (2012). The role of affect in attentional functioning for younger and older adults. Frontiers in Psychology, 3, 311.

[34] Petersen, S. E., & Posner, M. I. (2012). The attention system of the human brain:20 years after. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 35, 73–89.

[35] Posner, M. I. (1980). Orienting of attention. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 32(1), 3–25.

[36] Posner, M. I., & Petersen, S. E. (1990). The attention system of the human brain. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 13(1), 25–42.

[37] Posner, M. I., & Rothbart, M. K. (2007). Research on attention networks as a model for the integration of psychological science. Annual Review of Psychology, 58, 1–23.

[38] Ren, Y., Suzuki, K., Hirata, K., Yang, W., & Wu, J. (2021). Changes in efficiencies and interactions of attentional networks in Parkinson’s disease with sleep disturbance. Neuroscience Research, 170, 236–244.

[39] Roberts, K. L., Summerfield, A. Q., & Hall, D. A. (2006). Presentation modality influences behavioral measures of alerting, orienting, and executive control. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 12(4), 485–492.

[40] Rueda, M. R., Fan, J., McCandliss, B. D., Halparin, J. D., Gruber, D. B., Lercari, L. P., & Posner, M. I. (2004). Development of attentional networks in childhood. Neuropsychologia, 42(8), 1029–1040.

[41] Sørensen, L., Osnes, B., Visted, E., Svendsen, J. L., Adolfsdottir, S., Binder, P.-E., & Schanche, E. (2018). Dispositional mindfulness and attentional control: The specific association between the mindfulness facets of non-judgment and describing with flexibility of early operating orienting in conflict detection. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 2359.

[42] Sørensen, L., Wass, S., Osnes, B., Schanche, E., Adolfsdottir, S., Svendsen, J. L., Visted, E., Eilertsen, T., Jensen, D. A., Nordby, H., Fasmer, O. B., Binder, P. E., Koenig, J., & Sonuga-Barke, E. (2019). A psychophysiological investigation of the interplay between orienting and executive control during stimulus conflict: A heart rate variability study. Physiology & Behavior, 211, 112657.

[43] Vig, K. D. (2018). An Investigation of the Associations Between Intolerance of Uncertainty, Attentional Network Functioning, and Attentional Bias for Uncertainty The University of Regina (Canada) MA thesis. University of Regina.

[44] Wang, B., & Guo, W. (2020). Exercise mode and attentional networks in older adults: A cross-sectional study. PeerJ, 8, e8364.

[45] Wang, K., Fan, J., Dong, Y., Wang, C.-q., Lee, T. M., & Posner, M. I. (2005). Selective impairment of attentional networks of orienting and executive control in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research, 78(2–3), 235–241.

[46] Wu, E. X., Liaw, G. J., Goh, R. Z., Chia, T. T., Chee, A. M., Obana, T., Rosenberg, M. D., Yeo, B. T. T., & Asplund, C. L. (2020). Overlapping attentional networks yield divergent behavioral predictions across tasks: Neuromarkers for diffuse and focused attention? NeuroImage, 209, 116535.

[47] Wu, X., Jiang, Y., Jiang, Y., Chen, G., Chen, Y., & Bai, X. (2021). The influence of action video games on attentional functions across visual and auditory modalities. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 611778.

[48] Zhang, C., Dong, X., Ding, M., Chen, X., Shan, X., Ouyang, H., & Tao, Q. (2020). Executive control, alerting, updating, and falls in cognitively healthy older adults. Gerontology, 66(5), 494–505.

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2024 The Authors. PsyCh Journal published by Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.