Individuals\' gaze on an object usually leads others to prefer that object, which is called the gaze-liking effect. However, it is still unclear whether this effect is driven by social factors (i.e., visual perspective-taking) or the domain-general processing (i.e., attention cueing). This research explored the mechanism of the gaze-liking effect by manipulating the objects\' visibility to an avatar in six online one-shot experiments. The results showed that participants\' affective evaluation for the object was modulated by the avatar\'s visual perspective. Specifically, the visible object to the avatar received a higher rating of liking degree. However, when the avatar was replaced with a non-social stimulus, the experimental effect was absent. Furthermore, the gaze-liking effect was robust while controlling for confounding factors such as the distance between the object and the avatar or type of stimuli. These findings provided convincing evidence that the gaze-liking effect involves a process of the other\'s visual experience and is not merely a by-product of the gaze-cueing effect.

Some evidence suggests that testosterone can increase attentional orientation toward biologically relevant stimuli and increase sustained attention during goal-oriented behaviors. While rare irregular distractors often capture attention involuntarily and distract us away from the task at hand, we hypothesized that testosterone might (1) facilitate attentional orientation to novel distractors that are of potential behavioral relevance and (2) inhibit information processing of distractors that are irrelevant to the task. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the effects of testosterone on distractor processing in a novelty oddball task, during which infrequent target and distractor sounds were interspersed within a series of frequent non-target sounds. Using a double-blind, placebo-controlled within-participant design, we administered a single dose of either testosterone or placebo to 34 healthy male volunteers and compared their electroencephalographic responses to distractors. Increased amplitude of the early (260-310 ms) P3 component-which has been associated with phasic arousal and alertness triggered by novel stimuli-was observed in the testosterone session than in the placebo session. This early-P3 response mediated the effect of testosterone administration on target hit rate during the task. In addition, less α-oscillation suppression-which has been associated with the inhibition of task-irrelevant information processing-was observed in response to distractors later (538-757 ms) in the testosterone session than in the placebo session. These results suggest that testosterone facilitated phasic arousal to novel distractors during the early-latency stage, which might have influenced behavioral performance during the task. Furthermore, testosterone inhibited task-irrelevant information processing during the late-latency stage, which allowed better reorientation of attention back to the primary task. Our findings highlight the role of testosterone in distractor processing, and provide a theoretical basis for treating attention-related behavioral disorders with hormone therapies.

This study investigated how learning a passing skill with futsal or soccer task constraints influenced transfer to a new task. Futsal (n = 24, 13.6 ± 1.2 years old, 7.0 ± 1.6 years of experience) and soccer (n = 24, 13.6 ± 1.2 years old, 6.8 ± 1.2 years of experience) players performed two 5v5 + goalkeeper modified games - a futsal-like task (small playing area with the futsal ball) and soccer-like task (large playing area with the soccer ball). Participants\' passing accuracy and their orientation of attention were assessed during the two tasks. The futsal group improved their passing accuracy (ES = 0.75 ± 0.61) from the futsal-like to the soccer-like task, and they were more accurate than soccer players (ES = 2.98 ± 2.96). Conversely, the soccer group\'s passing accuracy remained stable across the two tasks (ES = 0.10 ± 0.52) and it was similar to the futsal group in the futsal-like task (ES = 0.58 ± 1.93). This indicates a higher magnitude of transfer (and adaptability) from performing passes in a small playing area with short time to act - futsal task constraints - to a larger playing area with longer time - soccer task constraints - than vice-versa. Furthermore, the futsal group showed a higher adaptation of attention orientation to the affordances that emerged with the soccer task constraints, which is suggested to be one of the main mechanisms promoting skill transfer. These results encourage soccer practitioners to introduce futsal task constraints to fast-track players\' ability to functionally adapt perception-action coupling.

Selective attention and working memory are inter-dependent core cognitive functions. It is critical to allocate attention on selected targets during the capacity-limited working memory processes to fulfill the goal-directed behavior. The trends of research on both topics are increasing exponentially in recent years, and it is considered that selective attention and working memory share similar underlying neural mechanisms. Different types of attention orientation in working memory are introduced by distinctive cues, and the means using retrospective cues are strengthened currently as it is manipulating the representation in memory, instead of the perceptual representation. The cognitive and neural mechanisms of the retro-cue effects are further reviewed, as well as the potential molecular mechanism. The frontal-parietal network that is involved in both attention and working memory is also the neural candidate for attention orientation during working memory. Neural oscillations in the gamma and alpha/beta oscillations may respectively be employed for the feedforward and feedback information transfer between the sensory cortices and the association cortices. Dopamine and serotonin systems might interact with each other subserving the communication between memory and attention. In conclusion, representations which attention shifts towards are strengthened, while representations which attention moves away from are degraded. Studies on attention orientation during working memory indicates the flexibility of the processes of working memory, and the beneficial way that overcome the limited capacity of working memory.

Previous research has demonstrated abstract concepts associated with spatial location (e.g., God in the Heavens) could direct visual attention upward or downward, because thinking about the abstract concepts activates the corresponding vertical perceptual symbols. For self-concept, there are similar metaphors (e.g., \"I am above others\"). However, whether thinking about the self can induce visual attention orientation is still unknown. Therefore, the current study tested whether self-reflection can direct visual attention. Individuals often display the tendency of self-enhancement in social comparison, which reminds the individual of the higher position one possesses relative to others within the social environment. As the individual is the agent of the attention orientation, and high status tends to make an individual look down upon others to obtain a sense of pride, it was hypothesized that thinking about the self would lead to a downward attention orientation. Using reflection of personality traits and a target discrimination task, Study 1 found that, after self-reflection, visual attention was directed downward. Similar effects were also found after friend-reflection, with the level of downward attention being correlated with the likability rating scores of the friend. Thus, in Study 2, a disliked other was used as a control and the positive self-view was measured with above-average judgment task. We found downward attention orientation after self-reflection, but not after reflection upon the disliked other. Moreover, the attentional bias after self-reflection was correlated with above-average self-view. The current findings provide the first evidence that thinking about the self could direct visual-spatial attention downward, and suggest that this effect is probably derived from a positive self-view within the social context.

The long-term impact of practice with different task constraints on perceptual skill is relatively un-explored. This study examined the influence of extensive practice, i.e., more than a 1000 h of structured practice, with domain-specific task constraints on perceptual skill associated with the passing action. Despite performing the same passing skill, it is not known whether long-term exposure to specific soccer or futsal task constraints influences the players\' attunement to environmental information. This study examined this issue by assessing the attention orientation of soccer (n = 24) and futsal players (n = 24) during modified games (6 vs. 6). Futsal players had higher scanning behavior during ball reception and control (40% more ball-player attention alternations) while soccer players mainly scanned the environment when not in ball possession (25% more attention alternations). We suggest that the behavioral differences found are elicited by the extensive domain-specific practice. That is, the higher number of players in soccer, and by a more intense game and easier to control ball in futsal. This study provides new insights into the long-term effects of practicing with specific task constraints.

Top-down attention biases the short-term memory (STM) processing at multiple stages. Orienting attention during the maintenance period of STM by a retrospective cue (retro-cue) strengthens the representation of the cued item and improves the subsequent STM performance. In a recent article, Backer et al. (Backer KC, Binns MA, Alain C. J Neurosci 35: 1307-1318, 2015) extended these findings from the visual to the auditory domain and combined electroencephalography to dissociate neural mechanisms underlying feature-based and object-based attention orientation. Both event-related potentials and neural oscillations explained the behavioral benefits of retro-cues and favored the theory that feature-based and object-based attention orientation were independent.