Task Switching for Visual Search in Healthy Adults

Overseen By Nancy Carlisle, PhD

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Lehigh University

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 1

24 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

Do I need to stop taking my current medications for this trial?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Within-Subjects Attentional Information for task switching in visual search?

Research shows that task-switching, which involves changing focus between tasks, activates specific brain areas and increases neural activity, suggesting that it can enhance attention control. This implies that Within-Subjects Attentional Information might help improve focus and efficiency in visual search tasks by engaging these brain regions. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is task switching for visual search safe for humans?

The research articles provided do not contain specific safety data regarding task switching for visual search in humans. They focus on cognitive processes and neural mechanisms involved in task switching and visual search. ^{6 7 8 9 10}

How does the treatment for task switching in visual search differ from other treatments?

This treatment focuses on improving the ability to switch tasks during visual search by enhancing selective attention, which is different from other treatments that may not specifically target the cognitive processes involved in task switching and attention shifting. ^{2 11 12 13 14}

What is the purpose of this trial?

In this line of research, the researchers having participants engage in task switching between tasks which require a positive (target) template, negative (distractor) template, or neutral (non-informative) template to the cognitive control factors associated with each template type during visual search. This is a basic science study.

Research Team

Nancy Carlisle, PhD

Principal Investigator

Lehigh University

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for healthy adults with normal or corrected-to-normal vision and the ability to see colors properly. It's not suitable for those who don't meet these visual requirements.

Inclusion Criteria

normal or corrected to normal visual acuity

normal color vision

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1-2 weeks

Testing

Participants engage in task switching between tasks requiring different attentional templates during visual search

1 day

1 visit (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for any immediate effects or feedback after testing

1 week

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Within-Subjects Attentional Information

Trial Overview The study examines how well participants can switch tasks during a visual search when given different types of instructions: focusing on targets, ignoring distractions, or receiving no specific guidance.

Participant Groups

Group I: Within-Subjects Attentional Information Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Within-Subjects, all participants receive all interventions

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Lehigh University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

24

Recruited

6,800+

References

1. Netherlands pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Modulation of task-related neural activity in task-switching: an fMRI study. [2019]

2. Netherlands pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Behavioural and electrophysiological measures of task switching during single and mixed-task conditions. [2006]

3. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Neuroimaging studies of shifting attention: a meta-analysis. [2004]

4. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A global and local perspective of interruption frequency in a visual search task. [2022]

5. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Attentional inertia and delayed orienting of spatial attention in task-switching. [2014]

6. Netherlands pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Attentional modulation of the carry over of eye-movements between tasks. [2019]

7. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Beta and Theta Oscillations Differentially Support Free Versus Forced Control over Multiple-Target Search. [2020]

8. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

How the speed of motor-response decisions, but not focal-attentional selection, differs as a function of task set and target prevalence. [2021]

9. Netherlands pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Switch rates vary due to expected payoff but not due to individual risk tendency. [2022]

10. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Frontal cortex differentiates between free and imposed target selection in multiple-target search. [2020]

11. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The large-scale neural network for spatial attention displays multifunctional overlap but differential asymmetry. [2007]

12. Netherlands pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Cognitive development attenuates audiovisual distraction and promotes the selection of task-relevant perceptual saliency during visual search on complex scenes. [2019]

13. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Electroencephalographic activity associated with shifts of visuospatial attention. [2019]

14. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Toward a taxonomy of attention shifting: individual differences in fMRI during multiple shift types. [2019]