Neural Mechanisms of Attention

Abstract

Much of our knowledge of the neural substrates of attention has been derived from investigations of sensory and motor system neurophysiology. Studies of the neural bases of conditioning have provided a second important source of information. Only recently have direct neurophysiological investigations of attention been attempted, generally by extending findings obtained from sensory, motor, or conditioning paradigms. In this chapter, we discuss some of the experimental evidence regarding the neural basis of attention, derived from four areas of investigation: (1) sensory physiology; (2) conditioning; (3) inhibitory control processes; and (4) the orienting response (OR) and habituation.