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Background Attentional distraction from pain has been shown to be largely ineffective for obtaining a hypoalgesic effect in patients with chronic pain when compared to a control condition. It has been hypothesized that this may be due to the non-engaging types of distraction that have been used so far. Moreover, it is suggested that the hypoalgesic effects of distraction may be attenuated by pain-related cognitions and emotions, as they may increase the attention to pain. Methods In this randomized controlled trial, patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain in the intervention group (n = 42) performed a single exercise session with nonimmersive VR games, while those in the control group (n = 42) performed the same exercises without VR games. We investigated whether VR distraction had a hypoalgesic effect during and immediately after the exercises, and whether it reduced the time spent thinking of pain during the exercises. We further explored whether pain-related fear, pain catastrophizing and baseline pain intensity moderated the effects of VR distraction. Results VR distraction had a hypoalgesic effect during (Cohen’s d = 1.29) and immediately after (Cohen’s d = 0.85) the exercises, and it also reduced the time spent thinking of pain (Cohen’s d = 1.31). Preliminary exploratory analyses showed that pain-related fear, pain catastrophizing and baseline pain intensity did not moderate the effects of VR distraction. Conclusions Large effect sizes of VR distraction induced hypoalgesia were observed. This suggests that nonimmersive VR games can be used when it is deemed important to reduce the pain during exercises in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain. Trial registration NCT02679300. This trial was registered on 10 February 2016.

Background and objectives The current study set out to investigate whether obsessive beliefs, selective attention, inhibition, and the interaction between selective attention and inhibition can prospectively predict contamination obsessive compulsive (OC) symptoms. Methods Obsessive beliefs, inhibition, and selective attention were assessed in a student sample (n = 89) during a baseline session in the beginning of the first semester. Their predictive value was examined by assessing symptoms after an OC symptom induction in the lab and by assessing OC symptoms during a period of increased stress (the examination period) 68–80 days after baseline. Results Results showed that obsessive beliefs did not consistently predict OC symptoms and there was no predictive effect of attentional bias, attentional bias variability, and inhibition in isolation. However, attentional bias variability and inhibition in the context of contamination-related stimuli interacted, in which only the combination of poor inhibition and large attentional bias variability predicted contamination OC symptoms during the examination period. Limitations Future research should investigate whether similar results are found in clinical populations, as the current sample consisted of a convenience sample of undergraduate students. Conclusion These results support the notion that information processing biases interact in predicting contamination OC symptoms.

Oscillatory neural activity is a fundamental characteristic of the mammalian brain spanning multiple levels of spatial and temporal scale. Current theories of neural oscillations and analysis techniques employed to investigate their functional significance are based on an often implicit assumption: In the absence of experimental manipulation, the spectral content of any given EEG- or MEG-recorded neural oscillator remains approximately stationary over the course of a typical experimental session (~1 hour), spontaneously fluctuating only around its dominant frequency. Here, we examined this assumption for ongoing neural oscillations in the alpha-band (8:13 Hz). We found that alpha peak frequency systematically decreased over time, while alpha-power increased. Intriguingly, these systematic changes showed partial independence of each other: Statistical source separation (independent component analysis) revealed that while some alpha components displayed concomitant power increases and peak frequency decreases, other components showed either unique power increases or frequency decreases. Interestingly, we also found these components to differ in frequency. Components that showed mixed frequency/power changes oscillated primarily in the lower alpha-band (~8-10Hz), while components with unique changes oscillated primarily in the higher alpha-band (~9-13Hz). Our findings provide novel clues on the time-varying intrinsic properties of large-scale neural networks as measured by M/EEG, with implications for the analysis and interpretation of studies that aim at identifying functionally relevant oscillatory networks or at driving them through external stimulation.

Hyperspectral image (HSI) super-resolution (SR) is of great application value and has attracted broad attention. The hyperspectral single image super-resolution (HSISR) task is correspondingly difficult in SR due to the unavailability of auxiliary high resolution images. To tackle this challenging task, different from the existing learning-based HSISR algorithms, in this paper we propose a novel framework, i.e., a 1D–2D attentional convolutional neural network, which employs a separation strategy to extract the spatial–spectral information and then fuse them gradually. More specifically, our network consists of two streams: a spatial one and a spectral one. The spectral one is mainly composed of the 1D convolution to encode a small change in the spectrum, while the 2D convolution, cooperating with the attention mechanism, is used in the spatial pathway to encode spatial information. Furthermore, a novel hierarchical side connection strategy is proposed for effectively fusing spectral and spatial information. Compared with the typical 3D convolutional neural network (CNN), the 1D–2D CNN is easier to train with less parameters. More importantly, our proposed framework can not only present a perfect solution for the HSISR problem, but also explore the potential in hyperspectral pansharpening. The experiments over widely used benchmarks on SISR and hyperspectral pansharpening demonstrate that the proposed method could outperform other state-of-the-art methods, both in visual quality and quantity measurements.

Several studies in mindfulness and meditation re- search have used the Attentional Network Task (ANT) to as- sess changes in the efficiency of attentional networks. The approaches used for mental training, the experimental designs, and the results in such studies are however heterogeneous, and in most cases, do not involve an assessment of dispositional mindfulness in its different facets. In this article,we originally report a study in which performances in the Attention Network Test Interactions (ANTI), a revised version of the ANT, are predicted by dispositional mindfulness facets (assessed through the five facets mindfulness questionnaire) in a population naïve to meditation. Regression analyses re- vealed that the mindfulness facets observe and acting with awareness were effective predictors of the efficiency of the three assessed attentional networks. Specifically, we found that observe scores predicted higher alerting scores. We also found that a higher acting with awareness score predicted slower response times when the executive control system was involved. Our results thus appear to contrast with other studies finding faster response times with mindfulness medi- tation training. More generally, our findings suggest that a higher dispositional mindfulness does not necessarily impli- cate an increased attentional efficiency in terms of response times.

Aim: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of variability of attentional focus distance by self-talk on the learning of table tennis backhand. Methods: Therefore, 80 high school girls by mean age 16(±0/62) yr. were randomly selected from sport school of Sanandaj and assigned to 5 groups. After pretest, the participants performed 180 forehand strokes during 6 sessions with repeating the words “slightly rotation” in the internal focus group “slightly open” in the near external focus group, “over the net” in the far external focus group, and each of the words “slightly rotation, slightly open, and over the net” respectively in each 2 sessions in the increasing distance of attentional focus group. Control group performed without self-talk during acquisition phase. Retention test was performed 48 hours after acquisition test in the same situation without self-talk, and after half an hour break, transfer test was done by changing the direction of target (parallel forehand) without self-talk. The accuracy and the pattern of forehand strokes were measured by a 5 point-scale (Liao and Masters, 2001) and researcher-made scale, respectively. At the end of acquisition phase, participants filled out the frequency and self-talk beliefs questionnaire. Results: According to the results of 2-factor mixed ANOVA, acquisition, retention, and transfer of backhand accuracy in internal focus of attention group were significantly lower than other groups (p, Цель : Целью настоящего исследования было изучение влияния способности к изменению фокусной дистанции на самопроговаривание при обучении настольному теннису ударом слева. Методы : Таким образом, 80 школьниц (возраст 16±0/62 лет) спортивной школы Санандай случайным образом были выбраны и распределены на 5 групп. После предварительного тестирования участники выполняли 180 ударов справа в течение 6 серий с повторением слов: "незначительное вращение" во внутрь, "незначительно приоткрыть", "через сетку". В дальнейшем каждые слова - незначительное вращение, незначительно приоткрыть, через сетку, повторялись, соответственно, в каждом из 2-х сеансов по мере удаления фокуса внимания. Контрольная группа выполняла упражения без проговаривания в фазе владения. Продолжали использование теста через 48 часов после овладения в такой же ситуации без проговаривания и после получасового перерыва. Тест перемещения был проведен путем изменения направления цели (параллельно удару справа) без проговаривания. Точность и структура удара справа измеряли по 5-балльной шкале (Liao and Masters, 2001). В конце тестирования участники заполнили вопросник проговариваия-убеждения. Результаты : По результатам 2-факторого анализа ANOVA (овладение, сохранение и удар слева) точности во внутреннем центре внимания группы были значительно ниже, чем в других группах (р, Мета : Метою цього дослідження було вивчення впливу здатності до зміни фокусної дистанції на само промовлянням при навчанні настільному тенісу ударом зліва. Методи : Таким чином, 80 школярок (вік 16 ± 0/62 років) спортивної школи Санандай випадковим чином були вибрані і розподілені на 5 груп. Після попереднього тестування учасники виконували 180 ударів справа протягом 6 серій з повторенням слів: "незначне обертання" у всередину, "незначно відкрити", "через сітку". У подальшому кожні слова - незначне обертання, незначно відкрити, через сітку, повторювалися, відповідно, в кожному з 2-х сеансів в міру віддалення фокусу уваги. Контрольна група виконувала вправи без промовляння у фазі володіння. Продовжували використання тесту через 48 годин після оволодіння в такій же ситуації без промовляння і після півгодинної перерви. Тест переміщення був проведений шляхом зміни напрямку мети (паралельно удару праворуч) без промовляння. Точність і структура удару справа вимірювали за 5-бальною шкалою (Liao and Masters, 2001). Наприкінці тестування учасники заповнили запитальник проговорюється-переконання. Результати : За результатами 2-факторного аналізу ANOVA (оволодіння, збереження і удар ліворуч) точності у внутрішньому центрі уваги групи були значно нижче, ніж в інших групах (р

The aim of the thesis was to further investigate the properties of the child Attentional Network Task (ANT), and its use with preschool children (4-5 years), as recent studies have struggled to find consistent results in this age group (Forns et al., 2014; Ishigami & Klein, 2015; Rueda, Checa, & Combita, 2012) . This was done through a within-subjects study ( n = 28), utilizing among others the child ANT, a nonverbal Stroop-task, and parent-report measures of child temperament and behavioral motivation. The child ANT is a computerized experimental task where children are to indicate the direction of swimming fish, guided by different visual cues. The task is thought to measure three separate types of attention; alerting, orienting and cognitive control, and is recommended for use with 4-10 year old children (Rueda et al., 2004) . While inhibition is closely related to several aspects of attention, it is believed to be most closely related to the cognitive control measure (St Clair-Thompson & Gathercole, 2006) . Hence, associations between the ANT and a nonverbal Stroop-task were explored. In addition, performance on the ANT was compared to individual differences in the behavioral inhibition system, as measured through a parent-report scale. Regarding the properties of the task itself, the conclusion remains unclear as to whether the ANT is the optimal way to measure the different types of attention in preschool children. Clear scores were found for the orienting and cognitive control networks, but not for the alerting network. However, the cognitive control aspects of the study were found to be significantly related to inhibitory abilities as measured by the Day/night task. An association was also discovered between children of relatively high accuracy (>70 %) and parent reported behavioral inhibition system activation.

Es creciente la evidencia de que las distracciones y la inatención del conductor constituyen un importante factor contributivo en choques y siniestros viales. El objetivo del presente trabajo es realizar una revisión de la literatura sobre inatención y distracciones durante la conducción. En primer lugar, se trabajó sobre la definición y delimitación conceptual de ambos términos; segundo, se abordaron los diferentes enfoques metodológicos utilizados para su estudio y, por último, se mencionan las medidas de intervención y de prevención recomendadas. Finalmente, se concluye que la investigación sobre el tema se enfrenta con problemas relativos a la falta de una definición consensuada de conceptos básicos, a diferencias metodológicas y a la ausencia de un marco teórico unificado que brinde coherencia a los hallazgos de investigación. Estas limitaciones en la investigación reflejan, a su vez, problemas más generales propios de la psicología del tránsito en tanto área específica de la psicología. There is growing evidence about the riskiness of driver distraction and inattention for traffic safety. The present study is a review of the literature about inattention and distraction while driving. First, the review shows the difficulties and controversies arisen in the definition of both constructs. Second, the paper describes different methodological approaches used in the driver distraction research. Third, there is a description of prevention strategies for mitigating and avoiding the consequences of driver distraction and inattention. It is concluded that research on driver distraction and inattention faces difficulties regarding the lack of common definitions of basic constructs, the lack of a unified theoretic frame, and the presence of methodological differences. These limitations mirror problems faced in the main discipline, Traffic Psychology. É crescente a evidência de que as distrações e a inatenção do condutor constituem um importante fator contributivo em choques e sinistros viários. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi realizar uma revisão da literatura sobre inatenção e distrações durante a condução. Em primeiro lugar, trabalha-se sobre a definição e delimitação conceitual de ambos os termos; segundo, abordam-se os diferentes enfoques metodológicos utilizados para seu estudo e, por último, mencionam-se as medidas de intervenção e de prevenção recomendadas. Finalmente, conclui-se que a pesquisa sobre o tema de enfrenta com problemas relativos à falta de uma definição consensual de conceitos básicos, a diferenças metodológicas, e à ausência de um marco teórico unificado que brinde coerência aos resultados da pesquisa. Estas limitações na pesquisa prévia refletem, ao mesmo tempo, problemas mais gerais próprios da psicologia do trânsito em tanto área específica da Psicologia.

A growing body of literature provides evidence for the prophylactic influence of cardiorespiratory fitness on cognitive decline in older adults. This study examined the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and recruitment of the neural circuits involved in an attentional control task in a group of healthy older adults. Employing a version of the Stroop task, we examined whether higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness were associated with an increase in activation in cortical regions responsible for imposing attentional control along with an up-regulation of activity in sensory brain regions that process task-relevant representations. Higher fitness levels were associated with better behavioral performance and an increase in the recruitment of prefrontal and parietal cortices in the most challenging condition, thus providing evidence that cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with an increase in the recruitment of the anterior processing regions. There was a top-down modulation of extrastriate visual areas that process both task-relevant and task-irrelevant attributes relative to the baseline. However, fitness was not associated with differential activation in the posterior processing regions, suggesting that fitness enhances attentional function by primarily influencing the neural circuitry of anterior cortical regions. This study provides novel evidence of a differential association of fitness with anterior and posterior brain regions, shedding further light onto the neural changes accompanying cardiorespiratory fitness.