Recent developments in a computational theory of visual attention (TVA)

Claus Bundesen; Signe Vangkilde; Anders Petersen

doi:10.1016/j.visres.2014.11.005

Recent developments in a computational theory of visual attention (TVA)

Vision Res. 2015 Nov;116(Pt B):210-8. doi: 10.1016/j.visres.2014.11.005. Epub 2014 Nov 29.

Authors

Claus Bundesen¹, Signe Vangkilde², Anders Petersen²

Affiliations

¹ University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Electronic address: bundesen@psy.ku.dk.
² University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

PMID: 25458815
DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2014.11.005

Abstract

This article reviews the foundations of the theory of visual attention (TVA) and describes recent developments in the theory. TVA is based on the principle of biased competition: All possible visual categorizations ascribing features to objects compete (race) to become encoded into visual short-term memory before it is filled up. Each of the possible categorizations is supported by sensory evidence, but the competition is biased by multiplication with attentional weights (high weights on important objects) and perceptual biases (toward use of important categories). The way sensory evidence and attentional biases interact is specified in the rate and weight equations of TVA, so TVA represents a mathematical formalization of the biased competition principle. In addition to describing TVA as a psychological theory, we present the neural interpretation of TVA, NTVA.

Keywords: TVA; Visual attention.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Attention / physiology*
Computer Simulation*
Humans
Memory, Short-Term / physiology*
Neuropsychological Tests
Psychological Theory
Visual Perception / physiology*