Determinants and mechanisms of attentional modulation of neural processing

This review contrasts the most-studied variety of attention, visuospatial a ttention, with several types of nonspatial visual attention. We: 1) discuss the manner in which spatial and nonspatial varieties of attention are expe rimentally defined, and the ecological validity of the paradigms in which t hey are studied, 2) review and compare differing effects of spatial and non spatial attention on neural processing, 3) discuss the manner in which atte ntion operates within the framework of an anatomical visual hierarchy, as w ell as 4) how attention relates to the temporal dynamics of visual processi ng, 5) describe cellular circuits and physiological processes that appear t o be involved in attention effects, 6) discuss the relationship of attentio nal physiology to the perceptual and cognitive effects of attention, and 7) consider the strengths and limitations of several current models of select ive attention. Throughout, we attempt to integrate the findings of monkey a nd human studies whenever possible.