TY - JOUR
T1 - Task-irrelevant memory load induces inattentional blindness without temporo-parietal suppression
AU - Matsuyoshi, Daisuke
AU - Ikeda, Takashi
AU - Sawamoto, Nobukatsu
AU - Kakigi, Ryusuke
AU - Fukuyama, Hidenao
AU - Osaka, Naoyuki
PY - 2010/8
Y1 - 2010/8
N2 - We often fail to consciously detect an unexpected object when we are engaged in an attention-demanding task (inattentional blindness). The inattentional blindness which is induced by visual short-term memory (VSTM) load has been proposed to result from a suppression of temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) activity that involves stimulus-driven attention. However, the fact that, inversely proportional to TPJ activity, intraparietal sulcus (IPS) activity correlates with VSTM load renders questionable the account of inattentional blindness based only on TPJ activity. Here, we investigated whether the TPJ is solely responsible for inattentional blindness by decoupling IPS and TPJ responses to VSTM load and then using the same manipulation to test the behavioral inattentional blindness performance. Experiment 1 showed that TPJ activity was not suppressed by task-irrelevant load while the IPS responded to both task-relevant and task-irrelevant load. Although the TPJ account of inattentional blindness predicts that the degree of inattentional blindness should track TPJ activity, we found in Experiment 2 that inattentional blindness was induced not only by task-relevant load but also by task-irrelevant load, showing inconsistency between the extent of inattentional blindness and TPJ response. These findings suggest that inattentional blindness can be induced without suppression of TPJ activity and seem to offer the possibility that the IPS contributes to conscious perception.
AB - We often fail to consciously detect an unexpected object when we are engaged in an attention-demanding task (inattentional blindness). The inattentional blindness which is induced by visual short-term memory (VSTM) load has been proposed to result from a suppression of temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) activity that involves stimulus-driven attention. However, the fact that, inversely proportional to TPJ activity, intraparietal sulcus (IPS) activity correlates with VSTM load renders questionable the account of inattentional blindness based only on TPJ activity. Here, we investigated whether the TPJ is solely responsible for inattentional blindness by decoupling IPS and TPJ responses to VSTM load and then using the same manipulation to test the behavioral inattentional blindness performance. Experiment 1 showed that TPJ activity was not suppressed by task-irrelevant load while the IPS responded to both task-relevant and task-irrelevant load. Although the TPJ account of inattentional blindness predicts that the degree of inattentional blindness should track TPJ activity, we found in Experiment 2 that inattentional blindness was induced not only by task-relevant load but also by task-irrelevant load, showing inconsistency between the extent of inattentional blindness and TPJ response. These findings suggest that inattentional blindness can be induced without suppression of TPJ activity and seem to offer the possibility that the IPS contributes to conscious perception.
KW - Attention
KW - FMRI
KW - Inattentional blindness
KW - Intraparietal sulcus
KW - Temporo-parietal junction
KW - Visual short-term memory
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77955272117&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=77955272117&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.06.021
DO - 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.06.021
M3 - Article
C2 - 20600188
AN - SCOPUS:77955272117
VL - 48
SP - 3094
EP - 3101
JO - Neuropsychologia
JF - Neuropsychologia
SN - 0028-3932
IS - 10
ER -