By focusing on the algorithm that pools information from the sensory neurons

that are targeted by attentional gain and noise reduction, the authors provide exciting new empirical data regarding how selective information processing is implemented. Given that the same value of k fit the data click here on both focused and distributed cue trials, these results suggest that attention doesn’t operate directly via manipulating the pooling of sensory information (at least in this context). Instead, a separate process may determine the value of k based on perceptual priors to optimally weight sensory inputs so that relatively modest changes in attention-induced gain and noise reduction can have a disproportionately large impact on perceptual decisions. Ultimately, the approach employed by Pestilli et al. opens up many new avenues of inquiry, primarily because they laudably integrated branches of psychophysics, neurophysiology, and mathematical modeling that have unfortunately remained largely distinct; hopefully many other such efforts are soon to follow. “
“Episodic memory, the ability to remember a past event, is essential to the performance of numerous tasks, such as recalling the name NLG919 nmr of someone you have previously met, remembering the current date, or remembering to go to an appointment in the near future. Given the

importance of memory and its sensitivity to the effects of age and neurological insult, it is not surprising that there is widespread demand for interventions to improve memory abilities. Until recently, the most popular approach to memory improvement had been to simply

train people in effective mnemonic strategies. There is a strong theoretical basis for this approach, and studies have generally found that strategy training can improve memory (Lustig et al., 2009 and Rebok et al., 2007). One limitation to strategy isothipendyl training, however, is that many effective mnemonic strategies are designed to work within a specific domain and do not always generalize to new situations. A second and more significant limitation is that even when people know appropriate strategies for optimizing learning they do not always use them. Spontaneous initiation of mnemonic strategies seems to depend on cognitive control, and therefore people with cognitive control deficits (e.g., older adults) might have knowledge about strategies but still fail to spontaneously use them (Brigham and Pressley, 1988). Because of these well-known limitations of strategy training, researchers are now investigating whether it is instead possible to directly train the abilities thought to support memory. There is general agreement that memory is supported by a set of abilities, any of which can be adversely affected by aging or neurological insult.