Neglect/Visual Field Training: Visuo-Spatial Attention (SPACE) Module

Setting and Task

The client takes on the role of a photographer. His task is to observe various scenes such as a market place, airport, office, children's playground etc. The camera viewfinder moves towards a particular point in the area under observation. The task is to take a "photo" by pressing the reaction key as soon the viewfinder stops and has "captured" an object. At the start of the training program there is a fixation point in the middle towards which the subject can direct his gaze and where he can find the viewfinder if he has lost sight of it.

Theory

In everyday life our attention may be focused on a different source from our perceptive organs. Peripheral stimuli lying outside our central field of vision can attract the focus of attention to themselves. They then bring about a change in the direction of gaze or a turning of the head towards an object or event (visuo-spatial attention). Peripheral cues tend to bring about an automatic (exogenous) spatial shift of attention, while central cues (e.g. an arrow in the fixation point pointing to the left or right) are more likely to produce a cognitively controlled (endogenous) shift of attention, since a particular expectation is generated. Both peripheral and central cues cause a covert shift of attention to the right or left and thus make it easier to detect stimuli in the half of the visual field in which the cues occur or to which they point (valid condition). However, if the cue is in the wrong half or points in the wrong direction (invalid condition), the speed of reaction to the target stimulus is slowed, since attention must first be shifted from the "wrong" focus to the correct spatial position.

Difficulty Structure

There are ten different difficulty levels, each of which displays a different scene of interest on the screen. The level of difficulty is increased by varying the way in which the viewfinder moves (continuous movement, jumping movement, with and without a return to the center) and the complexity of the scene. In addition, at the lower levels of difficulty the task is made easier by an acoustic and visual cue (sound and arrow in the middle of the viewfinder) which indicates the direction of the next movement. At the higher levels of difficulty only irregular cues are given, and cues may give no indication of direction or even be completely wrong - for example, the arrow in the viewfinder may point to the upper right while the viewfinder jumps to the lower left.

Note

The instructions for the SPACE training program are displayed on only one side of the screen and are therefore easily read by clients with neglect or visual field impairment. We recommend using monitors with a diagonal screen size of at least 19".