Is Attention Space-Based or Object-Based? Include Evidence from Patients with Unilateral

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The Answer is The debate over whether attention is space-based or object-based has been a topic of interest in cognitive psychology and neuroscience. Attention can be described as the cognitive process of selectively concentrating on one aspect of the environment while ignoring other things. The distinction between space-based and object-based attention refers to whether attention is oriented to locations in space or to specific objects, regardless of their location.

Evidence from patients with unilateral neglect, a condition often resulting from damage to the right parietal lobe, has been used to explore this question. Unilateral neglect is characterized by a lack of awareness or attention to objects or events on the side opposite the brain lesion, typically the left side. This condition provides a unique opportunity to study the mechanisms of attention.

Space-based attention would suggest that patients with unilateral neglect ignore all stimuli on the contralateral side of space. Indeed, many patients with unilateral neglect behave as if the left side of space does not exist, failing to eat food from the left side of their plate or to dress the left side of their body, which supports the space-based theory of attention.

However, there is also evidence for object-based attention in these patients. For example, when patients with unilateral neglect are presented with an object that is initially on their neglected side and then rotated to their non-neglected side without changing its orientation, they may still neglect the left side of the object, even though it is now located in their attended space. This suggests that their attention is oriented to the object itself rather than the space it occupies.

Further experiments have shown that neglect can also be object-centered. For instance, when patients are shown two superimposed objects and asked to attend to one, they may neglect parts of the attended object if those parts fall within the neglected space, indicating that their attention can be anchored to objects rather than just spatial locations.

In summary, evidence from patients with unilateral neglect suggests that attention can be both space-based and object-based. The manifestation of neglect can depend on the context and the nature of the task, indicating that attentional processes are flexible and can operate over both spatial and object-centered representations. This dual nature of attention allows for a more adaptive interaction with the environment, as it enables individuals to focus on relevant objects regardless of their spatial location, while also being able to attend to regions of space when necessary.

Is Attention Space-Based or Object-Based? Include Evidence from Patients with Unilateral

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