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Review
. 2016 Oct;69(10):1864-75.
doi: 10.1080/17470218.2014.937446. Epub 2014 Aug 30.

Orienting of attention: Then and now

Michael I Posner  1
Affiliations
Review

Orienting of attention: Then and now

Michael I Posner. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove). 2016 Oct.

Abstract

It is nearly 35 years since I gave the 7th Sir Frederick Bartlett lecture at Oxford University. This was published as a paper entitled "Orienting of attention in the quarterly journal". The topic was then primarily in psychology, but now equally often in neuroscience. This paper summarizes the background of the reaction time methods used in the original paper and findings that emerged later on the sensory consequences of orienting, mainly in the visual system. It then discusses the brain network that is the source of the sensory amplification and other brain networks that are involved in attention. Next, it reviews studies of the development of attentional networks in early life. Finally, it indicates how the new tools available to explore the human brain can lead to further progress.

Keywords: Attention; Encoding function; Endogenous; Executive network; Exogenous; Fractional anisotropy location cue; Orienting network; Radial and axial diffusivity; Resting state MRI.

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