Precision-dependent modulation of social attention
Social attention, guided by cues like gaze direction, is crucial for effective social interactions. However, how dynamic environmental context modulates this process remains unclear. Integrating a hierarchical Bayesian model with fMRI, this study investigated how individuals adjusted attention based...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-04-01
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| Series: | NeuroImage |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811925001685 |
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| author | Wenhui Gao Changbo Zhu Bailu Si Liqin Zhou Ke Zhou |
| author_facet | Wenhui Gao Changbo Zhu Bailu Si Liqin Zhou Ke Zhou |
| author_sort | Wenhui Gao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Social attention, guided by cues like gaze direction, is crucial for effective social interactions. However, how dynamic environmental context modulates this process remains unclear. Integrating a hierarchical Bayesian model with fMRI, this study investigated how individuals adjusted attention based on the predictions about cue validity (CV). Thirty-three participants performed a modified Posner location-cueing task with varying CV. Behaviorally, individuals’ allocation of social attention was finely tuned to the precision (inverse variance) of CV predictions, with the predictions updated by precision-weighted prediction errors (PEs) about the occurrence of target locations. Neuroimaging results revealed that the interaction between allocation of social attention and CV influenced activity in regions involved in spatial attention and/or social perception. Precision-weighted PEs about target locations specifically modulated activity in the temporoparietal junction (TPJ), superior temporal sulcus (STS), and primary visual cortex (V1), underscoring their roles in refining attentional predictions. Dynamic causal modeling (DCM) further demonstrated that enhanced absolute precision-weighted PEs about target locations strengthened the effective connectivity from V1 and STS to TPJ, emphasizing their roles in conveying residual error signals upwards to high-level critical attention areas. These findings emphasized the pivotal role of precision in attentional modulation, enhancing our understanding of context-dependent social attention. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-016c65ceee9d408abbe67022cd055488 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1095-9572 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | NeuroImage |
| spelling | doaj-art-016c65ceee9d408abbe67022cd0554882025-08-20T01:54:11ZengElsevierNeuroImage1095-95722025-04-0131012116610.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121166Precision-dependent modulation of social attentionWenhui Gao0Changbo Zhu1Bailu Si2Liqin Zhou3Ke Zhou4Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, ChinaSchool of Systems Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, ChinaSchool of Systems Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, ChinaBeijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China; Corresponding authors.Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, China; Corresponding authors.Social attention, guided by cues like gaze direction, is crucial for effective social interactions. However, how dynamic environmental context modulates this process remains unclear. Integrating a hierarchical Bayesian model with fMRI, this study investigated how individuals adjusted attention based on the predictions about cue validity (CV). Thirty-three participants performed a modified Posner location-cueing task with varying CV. Behaviorally, individuals’ allocation of social attention was finely tuned to the precision (inverse variance) of CV predictions, with the predictions updated by precision-weighted prediction errors (PEs) about the occurrence of target locations. Neuroimaging results revealed that the interaction between allocation of social attention and CV influenced activity in regions involved in spatial attention and/or social perception. Precision-weighted PEs about target locations specifically modulated activity in the temporoparietal junction (TPJ), superior temporal sulcus (STS), and primary visual cortex (V1), underscoring their roles in refining attentional predictions. Dynamic causal modeling (DCM) further demonstrated that enhanced absolute precision-weighted PEs about target locations strengthened the effective connectivity from V1 and STS to TPJ, emphasizing their roles in conveying residual error signals upwards to high-level critical attention areas. These findings emphasized the pivotal role of precision in attentional modulation, enhancing our understanding of context-dependent social attention.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811925001685Social attentionEye gazeHierarchical Gaussian filterBayesian modelingfMRI |
| spellingShingle | Wenhui Gao Changbo Zhu Bailu Si Liqin Zhou Ke Zhou Precision-dependent modulation of social attention NeuroImage Social attention Eye gaze Hierarchical Gaussian filter Bayesian modeling fMRI |
| title | Precision-dependent modulation of social attention |
| title_full | Precision-dependent modulation of social attention |
| title_fullStr | Precision-dependent modulation of social attention |
| title_full_unstemmed | Precision-dependent modulation of social attention |
| title_short | Precision-dependent modulation of social attention |
| title_sort | precision dependent modulation of social attention |
| topic | Social attention Eye gaze Hierarchical Gaussian filter Bayesian modeling fMRI |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811925001685 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT wenhuigao precisiondependentmodulationofsocialattention AT changbozhu precisiondependentmodulationofsocialattention AT bailusi precisiondependentmodulationofsocialattention AT liqinzhou precisiondependentmodulationofsocialattention AT kezhou precisiondependentmodulationofsocialattention |