title: Dimension-specific attention directs learning and listening on auditory training tasks.
abstract: The relative contributions of bottom-up versus top-down sensory inputs to auditory learning are not well established. In our experiment, listeners were instructed to perform either a frequency discrimination (FD) task ("FD-train group") or an intensity discrimination (ID) task ("ID-train group") during training on a set of physically identical tones that were impossible to discriminate consistently above chance, allowing us to vary top-down attention whilst keeping bottom-up inputs fixed. A third, control group did not receive any training. Only the FD-train group improved on a FD probe following training, whereas all groups improved on ID following training. However, only the ID-train group also showed changes in performance accuracy as a function of interval with training on the ID task. These findings suggest that top-down, dimension-specific attention can direct auditory learning, even when this learning is not reflected in conventional performance measures of threshold change.
authors: MRC Institute of Hearing Research, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK. l.halliday@ucl.ac.uk
authors: Lorna F
authors: LF
authors: Halliday
authors: David R
authors: DR
authors: Moore
authors: Jenny L
authors: JL
authors: Taylor
authors: Sygal
authors: S
authors: Amitay
references: Atten Percept Psychophys. 2010 May;72(4):1179-98
references: 20436209
references: J Cogn Neurosci. 2007 Jul;19(7):1163-74
references: 17583992
references: J Neurosci. 2006 May 3;26(18):4970-82
references: 16672673
references: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1993 Jun 15;90(12):5718-22
references: 8516322
references: J Acoust Soc Am. 1971 Feb;49(2):Suppl 2:467+
references: 5541744
references: Acta Psychol (Amst). 1976 Jun;40(3):199-206
references: 970198
references: Trends Cogn Sci. 2004 Oct;8(10):457-64
references: 15450510
references: J Basic Clin Physiol Pharmacol. 2006;17(3):159-71
references: 17598307
references: Atten Percept Psychophys. 2009 Jan;71(1):5-7
references: 19304592
references: Nat Neurosci. 2006 Nov;9(11):1446-8
references: 17028582
references: Crit Rev Neurobiol. 2000;14(3-4):199-224
references: 12645958
references: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1991 Jun 1;88(11):4966-70
references: 2052578
references: Atten Percept Psychophys. 2009 Aug;71(6):1219-27
references: 19633337
references: Atten Percept Psychophys. 2010 May;72(4):1155-78
references: 20436208
references: Perception. 1978;7(1):91-6
references: 628585
references: Percept Psychophys. 2001 Nov;63(8):1293-313
references: 11800458
references: Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2009 Feb 12;364(1515):301-11
references: 18977731
references: Nature. 1997 May 22;387(6631):401-6
references: 9163425
references: J Acoust Soc Am. 2006 Mar;119(3):1616-25
references: 16583906