Alison F. Eardley

Bio: Alison F. Eardley is an academic researcher from University of Westminster. The author has contributed to research in topics: Mental image & Audio description. The author has an hindex of 11, co-authored 27 publications receiving 384 citations. Previous affiliations of Alison F. Eardley include Birkbeck, University of London & University of London.

Do ERP components triggered during attentional orienting represent supramodal attentional control

Abstract: Lateralized ERP components triggered during cued shifts of spatial attention (anterior directing attention negativity [ADAN], late directing attention positivity [LDAP]) have been observed during visual, auditory, and tactile attention tasks, suggesting that these components reflect supramodal attentional control processes. This interpretation has recently been called into question by the finding that the ADAN is absent in response to auditory attention cues. Here we demonstrate that ADAN and LDAP components are reliably elicited in a purely unimodal auditory attention task where auditory cues are followed by auditory imperative stimuli. The fact that the ADAN is not restricted to task contexts where visual or tactile stimuli are relevant is consistent with the hypothesis that this component is linked to supramodal attentional control.

Sensory dominance and multisensory integration as screening tools in aging

Abstract: Multisensory information typically confers neural and behavioural advantages over unisensory information. We used a simple audio-visual detection task to compare healthy young (HY), healthy older (HO) and mild-cognitive impairment (MCI) individuals. Neuropsychological tests assessed individuals’ learning and memory impairments. First, we provide much-needed clarification regarding the presence of enhanced multisensory benefits in both healthily and abnormally aging individuals. The pattern of sensory dominance shifted with healthy and abnormal aging to favour a propensity of auditory-dominant behaviour (i.e., detecting sounds faster than flashes). Notably, multisensory benefits were larger only in healthy older than younger individuals who were also visually-dominant. Second, we demonstrate that the multisensory detection task offers benefits as a time- and resource-economic MCI screening tool. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis demonstrated that MCI diagnosis could be reliably achieved based on the combination of indices of multisensory integration together with indices of sensory dominance. Our findings showcase the importance of sensory profiles in determining multisensory benefits in healthy and abnormal aging. Crucially, our findings open an exciting possibility for multisensory detection tasks to be used as a cost-effective screening tool. These findings clarify relationships between multisensory and memory functions in aging, while offering new avenues for improved dementia diagnostics.

Learning at the Museum

Abstract: Muzeji su neformalna okruženja za ucenje, u kojima je ucenje istinski motivirano i procesirano preko znatiželje, promatranja i raznih aktivnosti. Proces takva ucenja može biti drugaciji od procesa ucenja koje vežemo uz formalna okruženja. Posebna prilika koju muzeji nude jest eksperimentalna priroda ucenja koja se temelji na susretima sa stvarnim objektima. U neformalnim okruženjima kognitivno i afektivno ucenje su povezani i mogu se nadograditi. Cilj ovog rada bio je istražiti stavove studenata o ucenju u muzeju, njegovoj ucinkovitosti i pozitivnim konotacijama na odgoj i obrazovanje djece. Istraživan je utjecaj varijable spola na oblikovanje stavova. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 380 studenata, od toga 140 muskaraca i 240 žena. Studenti su visoko ocijenili znacaj takva nacina ucenja, smatraju ga ucinkovitim i potrebnim u odgoju i obrazovanju ucenika. Dobiveni rezultati trebali bi aktualizirati temu poticanja sveobuhvatnije suradnje muzeja i odgojno-obrazovnih ustanova.

Motivation and Vision: An Analysis of Future L2 Self Images, Sensory Styles, and Imagery Capacity Across Two Target Languages

Abstract: Recent theorizing on second language (L2) motivation has proposed viewing motivation as a function of the language learners’ vision of their desired future language selves. This would suggest that the intensity of motivation is partly dependent on the learners’ capability to generate mental imagery. In order to test this hypothesis, this study investigates whether learner characteristics are related to sensory and imagery aspects with indices of the strength of the learners’ future L2 self-guides (ideal and ought-to L2 selves) and how these variables are linked to learning achievement in two target languages, English and Mandarin, assessed both by self-report and objective measures. One hundred seventy-two Year 8 Chinese students (ages 13–15) completed a questionnaire survey, and the results reveal several significant associations between the future self-guides and intended effort and actual grades, including a consistently positive relationship between the ideal self and the criterion measures. The findings also confirm the multisensory dimension of future self-guides, suggesting the importance of a broad imagery capacity (including both visual and auditory components) in the development of individuals’ future self-identities. Finally, the ideal-self images associated with different languages were shown to form distinct L2-specific visions, which has various implications for future research with regard to the potential positive or negative interaction of these self images.

The N2pc component and its links to attention shifts and spatially selective visual processing

Abstract: The N2pc component has recently become a popular tool in attention research. To investigate whether this component exclusively reflects attentional target selection or also prior stages in attentional processing (covert orienting, target-unspecific spatial attention), a spatial cuing procedure was combined with a visual search task. In some blocks, informative cues indicated the side of upcoming singleton targets that were present on most trials among uniform distractors. In other blocks, cues were spatially uninformative, and no preparatory shifts of attention were possible. The N2pc in response to targets was unaffected by this manipulation, showing that this component is not associated with attention shifts. Following informative cues, an attenuated N2pc was elicited by uniform nontarget arrays, suggesting that the N2pc may also reflect spatially specific processing of stimulus features at task-relevant locations prior to target selection.