{"id":14444,"date":"2014-11-12T21:18:13","date_gmt":"2014-11-13T03:18:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/?p=14444"},"modified":"2015-11-12T08:12:39","modified_gmt":"2015-11-12T14:12:39","slug":"uwm-researcher-works-to-uncloak-how-memories-affect-attention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/uwm-researcher-works-to-uncloak-how-memories-affect-attention\/","title":{"rendered":"51ÁÔÆæ researcher works to uncloak how memories affect attention"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"memory-attention_j\"<\/a>
Deborah Hannula (center), assistant professor of psychology, conducts a memory exercise with two of her students. Hannula has won a prestigious Early CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation to study what happens in the brain when memories obstruct a person\u2019s attention. (Photo by Troye Fox)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When is a sharp memory not<\/i> a desirable trait?<\/p>\n

Cognitive neuroscientist Deborah Hannula wonders whether people\u2019s attention can be diverted from a task if there is an object in sight that triggers a memory \u2013 a phenomenon she calls \u201cmemory-based capture.\u201d<\/p>\n

The answers she finds may impact the field of mental health.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s possible that memory-based capture is slowing us down or making us less effective in a variety of situations, particularly in cases of neurological or psychiatric disorder, like post traumatic stress disorder or anxiety disorder,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Hannula\u2019s research into the relatively unexplored field of memory\u2019s effects on attention has netted her an Early CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation, the first one to a member of the 51ÁÔÆæ Psychology Department.<\/p>\n

\u201cNSF CAREER grants are one of the nation\u2019s premier awards for young researchers who are on their way to becoming the future leaders in their fields,\u201d said Rodney Swain, dean of 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s College of Letters & Science. Our psychology department\u2019s rapidly rising national reputation is due in large part to the cutting-edge research conducted by Deborah Hannula and others.\u201d<\/p>\n

A study on two fronts<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hannula is conducting experiments that measure the eye movements and simultaneous brain function of her participants. Her two-pronged approach is novel among researchers.<\/p>\n

Participants in the study will memorize a series of matched pictures \u2013 for example, a face paired with a place. Then they\u2019ll engage in an attention task, which will require them to to deliberately ignore one item in the studied pairs.<\/p>\n

For example, after being shown a picture of the place, participants will attempt to direct their attention away from the corresponding face, looking instead at other faces offered in a visual display. The question is, \u201cWill participants\u2019 attention be captured by the corresponding face because their memory of the learned association is triggered by sight of the place?\u201d<\/p>\n

Using infrared light projected from a camera to track the participants\u2019 eye movements and a software program, Hannula can determine where the participant was looking and for how long.<\/p>\n

In addition to following the participants\u2019 eyes, Hannula will be using functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, to find which parts of the brain are active during the memory and attention tasks.<\/p>\n

Failure to conceal memory<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hannula\u2019s previous work suggests that memory-based capture happens automatically<\/p>\n

In one study already completed, two groups of participants performed a matching task. One group was asked to do their best to identify the face, from among three choices, that had been associated with a place. The other group was instructed to deliberately conceal their memory for the studied face-place association.<\/p>\n

The results showed that in both cases participants looked almost immediately at the correct match \u2013 whether or not they ultimately chose it. In other words, the eyes \u201cgive away\u201d a memory that the participants are attempting to hide.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe next step is to identify how this memory-based capture is supported by the brain,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

As part of the CAREER grant, Hannula will teach a freshmen seminar next fall on how cognitive neuroscience is portrayed in the media, especially in the context of computerized brain-training tools that have become increasingly popular. Hannula will also be forming a book club to encourage community members to read and think about the brain and memory.
\n<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cognitive neuroscientist Deborah Hannula wonders whether people\u2019s attention can be diverted from a task if there is an object in sight that triggers a memory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":785,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[174,175],"tags":[],"section":[140,139],"display_categories":[],"related-coverage":[],"uwmnews-feed":[158,161],"class_list":["post-14444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-research","section-science","section-science-technology","uwmnews-feed-letters-science","uwmnews-feed-hard-science"],"yoast_head":"\n51ÁÔÆæ researcher works to uncloak how memories affect attention<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Cognitive neuroscientist Deborah Hannula wonders whether people\u2019s attention can be diverted from a task if there 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