What happens in your brain when you pay attention? | Mehdi Ordikhani-Seyedlar

譯者: 易帆 余 審譯者: Yanyan Hong

Paying close attention to something:

專心注意某件事，

Not that easy, is it?

並不簡單，對吧？

It's because our attention is pulled in so many different directions at a time,

這是因為我們的注意力 同時會被很多不同的東西干擾。

and it's in fact pretty impressive if you can stay focused.

而且如果你還能保持專注， 真的會令人感到佩服。

Many people think that attention is all about what we are focusing on,

許多人認為注意力與 我們所專注的東西有關，

but it's also about what information our brain is trying to filter out.

而實際上與我們的大腦 過濾出甚麼有關。

There are two ways you direct your attention.

有兩種方式主導了你的注意力。

First, there's overt attention.

首先是外顯注意力。

In overt attention, you move your eyes towards something

在外顯注意力中， 你的眼睛會隨著物品移動，

in order to pay attention to it.

好讓你可以專注於這個物品。

Then there's covert attention.

然後就是內隱注意力。

In covert attention, you pay attention to something,

在內隱注意力中，

你無需移動你的眼睛， 就能注意到某樣東西。

but without moving your eyes.

Think of driving for a second.

想像一下你在開車的時候，

Your overt attention, your direction of the eyes,

你的外顯注意力， 也就是你眼睛的方向

are in front,

都在前方。

but that's your covert attention

但你的內隱注意力

which is constantly scanning the surrounding area,

會不斷地掃視周圍環境，

where you don't actually look at them.

而實際上你並不會 刻意去看周圍環境。

I'm a computational neuroscientist,

我是一名計算神經科學家，

and I work on cognitive brain-machine interfaces,

致力於研究認知腦機介面，

or bringing together the brain and the computer.

或者也可以說人腦和電腦結合。

I love brain patterns.

我很喜歡看大腦圖型，

Brain patterns are important for us

大腦圖型對於我們來說很重要，

because based on them we can build models for the computers,

因為有了它們， 我們可以在電腦內建立模型，

and based on these models

然後基於這些模型，

computers can recognize how well our brain functions.

電腦可以識別出 我們的大腦運作的好不好。

And if it doesn't function well,

如果大腦不能很好地運作，

then these computers themselves can be used as assistive devices

這些電腦就可以成為

治療的輔助裝置。

for therapies.

But that also means something,

但這也意味著

because choosing the wrong patterns

如果選擇了錯誤的圖型，

will give us the wrong models

我們就會建立出錯誤的模式，

and therefore the wrong therapies.

結果會導致錯誤的治療方法。

Right?

對吧？

In case of attention,

關於注意力，

the fact that we can

事實上我們不僅可以

shift our attention not only by our eyes

透過眼睛來轉移注意力，

but also by thinking --

還可以透過思考......

that makes covert attention an interesting model for computers.

讓內隱注意力 變成電腦裡一個有趣的模式。

So I wanted to know what are the brainwave patterns

因此我會想知道， 當你在外顯或內隱觀察時，

when you look overtly or when you look covertly.

腦波圖型會有什麽變化。

I set up an experiment for that.

我為此建立了一個實驗。

In this experiment there are two flickering squares,

實驗中會有兩個正在閃爍的方塊，

one of them flickering at a slower rate than the other one.

其中一個方塊 閃爍的速度比另一個慢。

Depending on which of these flickers you are paying attention to,

看你是專注在哪一個方塊，

certain parts of your brain will start resonating in the same rate

你大腦的某個區域 就會同時產生反應，

反應的頻率就跟閃爍頻率一樣。

as that flickering rate.

So by analyzing your brain signals,

所以透過分析你的大腦信號，

we can track where exactly you are watching

我們就可以追蹤到 你正在看哪裡

or you are paying attention to.

或者你正在專注哪個地方。

So to see what happens in your brain when you pay overt attention,

所以為了想要看看你在運用 外顯注意力時大腦裡發生的情況，

I asked people to look directly in one of the squares

我會要求實驗者， 直接看著其中一個方塊

and pay attention to it.

並專注地看。

In this case, not surprisingly, we saw that these flickering squares

在實驗中，毫無意外地， 我們看到了這些閃爍的信號

appeared in their brain signals

出現在大腦中，

which was coming from the back of their head,

這些信號是從頭部後方發出來的，

which is responsible for the processing of your visual information.

而這個地方就是負責處理 視覺信息的地方。

But I was really interested

但我真正有興趣的是：

to see what happens in your brain when you pay covert attention.

當你在運用內隱注意力時 大腦裡會發生的情況。

So this time I asked people to look in the middle of the screen

所以這一次，我要求實驗者 看著螢幕的正中間，

and without moving their eyes,

而且不能移動眼睛。

to pay attention to either of these squares.

這樣就能夠注意到 其中一個方塊。

When we did that,

當我們這樣實驗時，

we saw that both of these flickering rates appeared in their brain signals,

我們觀察到兩個閃爍方塊的頻率 都出現在他們的大腦信號，

but interestingly,

但有趣的是，

only one of them, which was paid attention to,

被投以關注的其中一個方塊

信號更加強烈，

had stronger signals,

so there was something in the brain

因此大腦裡有某樣東西

which was handling this information

正在負責處理這類的信息。

so that thing in the brain was basically the activation of the frontal area.

而這個東西基本上就在 大腦的前額活動區。

The front part of your brain is responsible

大腦的前半部負責

for higher cognitive functions as a human.

人類較高層次的認知功能。

The frontal part, it seems that it works as a filter

大腦前額區的運作方式 就像過濾器，

trying to let information come in only from the right flicker

它會嘗試著把你所專注的方塊信號

that you are paying attention to

發進大腦裡，

and trying to inhibit the information coming from the ignored one.

同時也會把忽略的信號給屏蔽掉。

The filtering ability of the brain is indeed a key for attention,

大腦的過濾能力 就是注意力產生的關鍵，

which is missing in some people,

這種能力在某些人身上是缺乏的，

for example in people with ADHD.

比如說，有注意力不足過動症的人

So a person with ADHD cannot inhibit these distractors,

因而有注意力不足過動症的人 無法抑制住這些干擾信號，

and that's why they can't focus for a long time on a single task.

這就是他們不能 長時間專注於某一任務的原因。

But what if this person

但如果這個人

could play a specific computer game

可以玩一種特定的電腦遊戲，

with his brain connected to the computer,

讓他的大腦與電腦連接，

and then train his own brain

然後訓練他自己的大腦

to inhibit these distractors?

去抑制這些干擾信號呢？

Well, ADHD is just one example.

是的，注意力不足過動症 只是其中一個例子。

We can use these cognitive brain-machine interfaces

我們可以把這些認知腦機介面

for many other cognitive fields.

運用到其它的認知領域中。

It was just a few years ago

就在幾年前，

that my grandfather had a stroke, and he lost complete ability to speak.

我祖父中風了， 他完全喪失了說話的能力。

He could understand everybody, but there was no way to respond,

他能聽見任何人的聲音， 但無法作出回應，

even not writing because he was illiterate.

也寫不出來，因為他不識字。

So he passed away in silence.

最後他安靜地離開了人世。

I remember thinking at that time:

我記得，當時我正在想：

What if we could have a computer

假如我們有一台電腦

which could speak for him?

可以替他講話會是怎樣呢？

Now, after years that I am in this field,

幾年後，我投入這個領域

I can see that this might be possible.

我能預見，這是有可能的。

Imagine if we can find brainwave patterns

想像一下，如果我們可以 在想像圖片或文字時

when people think about images or even letters,

找出腦波圖型，

like the letter A generates a different brainwave pattern

像是字母 A 形成的腦波圖型

than the letter B, and so on.

與字母 B 的不一樣，諸如此類的。

Could a computer one day communicate for people who can't speak?

那麼，電腦會不會有一天， 就能為那些無法說話的人發聲？

What if a computer

如果電腦

can help us understand the thoughts of a person in a coma?

能幫助我們了解處於昏迷狀態中的 人的想法又會是怎樣呢？

We are not there yet,

我們還沒有實現那樣的願景，

but pay close attention.

但我們會極度關注。

We will be there soon.

我們很快就能將其實現。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）