Neural models of attention?

[David Chapman]

There are actually many models in the literature; most of the people
studying the problem seem not to be aware of each other's work.  In
addition to those already mentioned, [Feldman+Ballard] have proposed a
model inspired by [Treisman+Gelade].  (References are at the end of
this message.)  [Strong+Whitehead] have implemented a similar model.
[Fukushima]'s model is rather different.  [Koch+Ullman]'s and
[Mozer]'s models seem closest to the psychophysical and
neurophysiological data to me.  I [Chapman] have implemented
[Koch+Ullman]'s proposal successfully and used it to model in detail
the psychophysically-based theories of visual search due to
[Treisman+Geldade, Treisman+Gormican].  My thesis [Chapman] describes
these and other models of attention and tries to sort out their
relative strengths.

It's probably time for someone to write a review article.

                                Cites:

David Chapman, {\em Vision, Instruction, and Action.} PhD Thesis, MIT
Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, 1990.

Jerome A.~Feldman and Dana Ballard, ``Connectionist Models and their
Properties.''  {\em Cognitive Science} {\bf 6} (1982) pp.~205--254.

Kunihiko Fukushima, ``A Neural Network Model for Selective Attention
in Visual Pattern Recognition.''  {\em Biological Cybernetics} {\bf
55} (1986) pp.~5--15.

Christof Koch and Shimon Ullman, ``Selecting One Among the Many: A
Simple Network Implementing Shifts in Selective Visual Attention.''
{\em Human Neurobiology} {\bf 4} (1985) pp.~219--227.  Also published
as MIT AI Memo 770/C.B.I.P.~Paper 003, January, 1984.

Michael C.~Mozer, ``A connectionist model of selective attention in
visual perception.'' {\em Program of the Tenth Annual Conference of
the Cognitive Science Society}, Montreal, 1988, pp.~195--201.

Gary W.~Strong and Bruce A.~Whitehead, ``A solution to the
tag-assignment problem for neural networks.''  {\em Behavioral and
Brain Sciences} (1989) {\bf 12}, pp.~381--433.

Anne M.~Treisman and Garry Gelade, ``A Feature-Integration Theory of
Attention.''  {\em Cognitive Psychology} {\bf 12} (1980), pp.~97--136.

Anne Treisman and Stephen Gormican, ``Feature Analysis in Early
Vision: Evidence From Search Asymmetries.''  {\em Psychological
Review} Vol.~95 (1988), No.~1, pp.~15--48.

                   Some other relevant references:

C.~H.~Anderson and D.~C.~Van Essen, ``Shifter circuits: A
computational strategy for dynamic aspects of visual processing.''
{\em Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA}, Vol.~84,
pp.~6297--6301, September 1987.

Francis Crick, ``Function of the thalamic reticular complex: The
searchlight hypothesis.''  {\em Proceedings of the National Academy of
Science}, Vol.~81, pp.~4586--4590, July 1984.

Jefferey Moran and Robert Desimone, ``Selective attention gates visual
processing in the extrastriate cortex.''  {\em Science} {\bf 229}
(1985), pp.~782--784.

V.~B.~Mountcastle, B.~C.~Motter, M.~A.~Steinmetz, and A.~K.~Sestokas,
``Common and Differential Effects of Attentive Fixation on the
Excitability of Parietal and Prestriate (V4) Cortical Visual Neurons
in the Macaque Monkey.''  {\em The Journal of Neuroscience}, July
1987, 7(7), pp.~2239--2255.

John K.~Tsotsos, ``Analyzing vision at the complexity level.''  To
appear, {\em Behavioral and Brain Sciences}.