@article{jolicoeur1998demonstration,

title = {The demonstration of short-term consolidation},

author = {P. Jolicœur and R. Dell'Acqua},

url = {http://colab.psy.unipd.it/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/cogpsych_stc_98.pdf},

year  = {1998},

date = {1998-01-01},

journal = {Cogn Psychol},

volume = {36},

number = {2},

pages = {138--202},

publisher = {Elsevier},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{nokey,

title = {The time-course of attention engagement in a single-stream RSVP design},

author = {Arianna Schiano Lomoriello and Paola Sessa and Paul E. Dux and Mattia Doro and Roberto Dell’Acqua},

url = {https://colab.psy.unipd.it/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/jocn_abn2pcb_25.pdf},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-08-30},

journal = {Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience},

abstract = {When two stimuli are presented at the same spatial location in close temporal proximity — typically less than 500 milliseconds apart — the second stimulus is often not perceived, a phenomenon known as attentional blink (AB). This striking failure of visual awareness is thought to reflect limitations in the allocation of attention for the selection and consolidation of visual input. While existing models of the AB differ in their predictions regarding when and why attentional engagement is required, no direct neural correlate has yet been identified to track this process during the AB. Here, we propose that the bilateral N2 posterior contralateral (N2pcb) component of the event-related potential (ERP) time-locked to the second stimulus may serve as such a marker. To test this hypothesis, we reanalyzed data from our prior study (Dell’Acqua et al., 2015, Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience), in which participants identified target letters embedded in rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) streams of distractor digits. Each RSVP stream ended with either an unmasked letter (target- present trials) or a digit (target-absent trials). Subtracting ERPs elicited in target-absent trials from ERPs elicited in target-present trials revealed that the N2pcb component persisted even during the AB. These findings suggest that attentional engagement for the second target is largely preserved during the blink, indicating that a disruption of attention is not necessary for the AB to occur, and that post-attentional processing limitations likely play a major role — a conclusion consistent with a specific subset of current AB models.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {forthcoming},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Gambarota0000,

title = {Tracking the unconscious: Neural evidence for the retention of unaware information in visual working memory},

author = {Filippo Gambarota and Roy Luria and Antonio Maffei and Roberto Dell’Acqua and Naotsugu Tsuchiya and Paola Sessa},

url = {https://colab.psy.unipd.it/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/jocn_subcda_25.pdf},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-08-27},

journal = {Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience},

abstract = {This study examines the retention of unconscious visual information within visual working memory (VWM). The contralateral delay activity (CDA)—an event-related potential (ERP) component directly linked to VWM maintenance—was recorded as participants performed a change detection task with Gabor patches at a visibility threshold assessed by the perceptual awareness scale (PAS 1–4). Despite subthreshold visibility (PAS 1), participants’ performance exceeded chance, indicating unconscious retention. In a subsample, CDA amplitude was significantly larger for unconscious stimuli linked to correct responses compared to incorrect ones, suggesting active VWM maintenance of unconscious information. These findings challenge the concept of exclusively activity-silent working memory, showing that unconscious information is initially supported by neural firing indexed by the CDA and may transition to silent states over time. This study underscores the active retention of unconscious visual information in VWM, shedding light on the neural mechanisms involved in unconscious memory processes.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {forthcoming},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{nokey,

title = {Vertical elevation as a key factor for the neural distinction of target selection and distractor suppression in visual search},

author = {Yanzhang Chen and Paola Sessa and Sabrina Brigadoi and Alberto Petrin and Suiping Wang and Roberto Dell'Acqua},

url = {https://colab.psy.unipd.it/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/jin_pd_25-1.pdf},

doi = {10.31083/JIN36513},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-03-10},

urldate = {2025-03-10},

journal = {Journal of Integrative Neuroscience},

volume = {24},

number = {36513},

issue = {5},

abstract = {Background: Directing attention to relevant visual objects while ignoring distracting stimuli is crucial for effective perception and goal-directed behavior. Event-related potential (ERP) studies using the additional-singleton paradigm have provided valuable insights into how the human brain processes competing salient stimuli by monitoring N2pc and PD, two event-related components thought to reflect target selection and distractor suppression, respectively. However, whether these components reflect the activity of a single or distinct neural mechanisms remains controversial. Here, we investigated the neural substrate of N2pc and PD by manipulating the vertical elevation of target and distractor relative to the visual horizontal meridian using two variants of the additional-singleton paradigm.  Methods: In Experiment 1, participants searched for a shape singleton and identified the orientation of an embedded tilted bar while ignoring a color singleton. In Experiment 2, the tilted bars were removed and participants performed a shape search while ignoring a color singleton. EEG recordings at posterior sites (PO7/8) measured N2pc and PD components. Reaction times and ERP amplitudes were analyzed across conditions. Results: The results of both Experiments 1 and 2 showed that N2pc and PD responded in opposite ways to the manipulation of vertical elevation. N2pc was robust for targets in the lower visual hemifield and reversed in polarity (i.e., PNP) for targets in the upper visual hemifield. Conversely, PD was more pronounced for distractors in the upper visual hemifield and nil for those in the lower visual hemifield. Critically, vertical elevation did not influence psychophysical estimates of search efficiency in either experiment, suggesting that the relationship between these components and their functional significance is less straightforward than previously thought. Conclusions: These results provide empirical support for the idea that N2pc and PD are influenced by the retinotopic organization of the visual cortex in a manner consistent with the neural and functional dissociation of target selection and distractor suppression in visual search.

},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{nokey,

title = {(Temporal) Visual attention not in crisis},

author = {Paul E. Dux and Roberto Dell'Acqua and Brad Wyble},

url = {https://colab.psy.unipd.it/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/BBS-S-25-00390-2.pdf},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-03-05},

urldate = {2025-03-05},

journal = {Behavioral and Brain Sciences},

abstract = {Extensive research using the attentional blink phenomenon illustrates, through behavioural, modelling and cognitive neuroscience approaches, that distinct selection and attention capacity limits exist. Crucially, these effects cannot reflect peripheral visual processes nor distinct task operations across conditions controlling for issues raised by Rosenholtz. Moving away from attention and selection concepts hinder rather than facilitate a mechanistic understanding of vision.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {forthcoming},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{nokey,

title = {The effect of occlusion on the visual working memory pointer-system},

author = {Shani Friedman and Roberto Dell’Acqua and Paola Sessa and Roy Luria},

url = {https://colab.psy.unipd.it/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/cortex_pointsys_25.pdf},

doi = {10.1016/j.cortex.2024.12.018},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-12},

urldate = {2025-01-12},

journal = {Cortex},

volume = {183},

pages = {373-390},

abstract = {To access its online representations, visual working memory (VWM) relies on a pointer-system that creates correspondence between objects in the environment with their memory representations. This pointer-system allows VWM to modify its representations using a process called updating. When the pointer is invalidated, however, VWM triggers a process called resetting in which the no longer relevant representation and pointer are replaced. Past studies used the contralateral delay activity (CDA) to differentiate between updating and resetting and found that resetting is followed by a drop in the CDA amplitude. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of occlusion on VWM representations and the resetting process across four experiments. Experiment 1 examined whether resetting occurs with occluded changes and compared the CDA of occluded versus visible objects. The results indicated a decline in CDA amplitude during occlusion, but it was unclear if resetting occurred when the change was occluded due to the lack of time-locked changes. To better isolate the resetting process, Experiment 2 used a brief occluder appearances (100 ms) and observed a CDA drop likely due to an ERP response to the sudden stimulus appearance. This drop occurred earlier than the resetting CDA drop and appeared even in conditions that did not trigger resetting, which indicates that it might be an ERP response to the short and sudden appearance of a stimulus. Experiment 3 further isolated this ERP response, confirming the early CDA drop as a reaction to the occluder's onset and offset. Experiment 4, which included occluders that did not flash to avoid ERP responses, found a CDA drop indicating that resetting can occur with inferred changes. These findings suggest that VWM maintains representations of occluded objects, and can update or reset these representations based on inferred changes, with brief stimuli eliciting ERP responses that affect CDA amplitude.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{nokey,

title = {On the functional independence of numerical acuity and visual working memory},

author = {Roberto Dell'Acqua and Paola Sessa and Sabrina Brigadoi and Judit Gervain and Roy Luria and Mattia Doro},

url = {http://colab.psy.unipd.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/fpsy_vwmna_24-1.pdf},

doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1335857},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-03-13},

urldate = {2024-03-01},

journal = {Frontiers in Psychology},

volume = {15},

number = {1335857},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{nokey,

title = {Unmasking conscious fear perception from faces: Insights from high-density EEG and perceptual awareness scale with threshold stimuli},

author = {Antonio Maffei and Filippo Gambarota and Mario Liotti and Roberto Dell’Acqua and Naotsugu Tsuchiya and Paola Sessa},

url = {http://colab.psy.unipd.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/cortex_fear_24-1.pdf},

doi = {10.1016/j.cortex.2024.02.010},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-03-01},

urldate = {2024-03-01},

journal = {Cortex},

volume = {174},

pages = {93-109},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{nokey,

title = {Nulla si crea, nulla si distrugge, tutto si trasforma},

author = {Roberto Dell'Acqua and Paola Sessa and Brigadoi Sabrina},

url = {http://colab.psy.unipd.it/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/gip_turatto_23.pdf},

doi = {10.1421/108223},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-10-15},

urldate = {2023-10-15},

journal = {Giornale Italiano di Psicologia},

volume = {3},

pages = {597-601},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{dellacqua,

title = { On target selection as reflected by posterior ERP components in feature-guided visual search},

author = { R Dell’Acqua and M Doro and S Brigadoi and B L Drisdelle and A Simal and V Baro and P Jolicœur},

url = {http://colab.psy.unipd.it/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/pphys_ppp_22-1.pdf},

doi = {10.1111/psyp.14131},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-06-10},

urldate = {2022-06-10},

journal = {Psychophysiology},

volume = {59},

pages = {e14131},

abstract = {The N2pc event-related potential is a widely studied component that reflects the covert deployment of visuo-spatial attention to target stimuli displayed laterally relative to fixation. Recently, an analogous component, named N2pcb, has been proposed as a marker of the deployment of visuo-spatial attention to targets displayed on the vertical midline. Two studies that investigated the N2pcb component found analogous results, using however two different algorithms to compute the amplitude of N2pcb. One study subtracted the ipsilateral activity elicited by a lateral target from the bilateral activity elicited by a target displayed on the vertical midline, whereas the other study subtracted the bilateral activity elicited by target-absent displays from the bilateral activity elicited by a target displayed on the vertical midline. Here we show both algorithms estimate properly the N2pc as well as the N2pcb components. In addition, we explored whether the singleton detection positivity (SDP) component, a posterior bilateral positivity temporally concomitant to N2pc recently reported in studies using singleton search, could be observed in the present study in which a target was defined by a combination of features. Given that such component was indeed found using feature search, we named this component posterior processing positivity (PPP), and showed that bilateral activity elicited by target-absent displays is an adequate baseline for its correct isolation.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{dellacqua,

title = {A bilateral SPCN is elicited by to-be-memorized visual stimuli displayed along the vertical midline},

author = {Y Chen and S Brigadoi and A Schiano Lomoriello and P Jolicoeur and A Simal and S Fu and V Baro and R Dell’Acqua},

url = {http://colab.psy.unipd.it/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/pphys_spcnb_22-1.pdf},

doi = {10.1111/psyp.14045},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-03-02},

journal = {Psychophysiology},

volume = {59},

pages = {e14045},

abstract = {We recently showed that deploying attention to target stimuli displayed along the vertical meridian elicits a bilateral N2pc, that we labeled N2pcb (Psychophysiology). Here we investigated whether a different component, the sustained posterior contralateral negativity (SPCN), shows the same property when a varying num- ber of visual stimuli are displayed either laterally or on the vertical meridian. We displayed one or two cues that designated candidate targets to be detected in a search array that was displayed after a retention interval. The cues were either on the horizontal meridian or on the vertical meridian. When the cues were on the horizontal meridian, we observed an N2pc followed by an SPCN in their classic form, as negativity increments contralateral to the cues. As expected, SPCN am- plitude was greater when two cues had to be memorized than when only one cue had to be memorized. When the cues were on the vertical meridian, we observed an N2pcb followed by a bilateral SPCN (or SPCNb). Critically, like SPCN, SPCNb amplitude was greater when two cues had to be memorized than when only one cue had to be memorized. A series of additional parametrical and topographi- cal comparisons between N2pcb and SPCNb revealed similarities but also some important differences between these two components that we interpreted as evi- dence for their distinct neural sources.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Luo2017Inprogress,

title = {On the deployment of spatial attention to parafoveal Chinese characters: An event-related potential investigation},

author = {C. Luo and R. Dell'Acqua and G. Ma and N. Lin and M. Doro and X. Li},

url = {http://colab.psy.unipd.it/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/ijpphys_cchar_15.pdf},

year  = {2017},

date = {2017-02-01},

journal = {Paper submitted to International Journal of Psychophysiology},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{O'Malley2017,

title = {Differences in human electrophysiology for words and nonwords predict group differences in lexical processing},

author = {S. O'Malley and F. Gosselin and M. Arguin and N. Moffat and J. Bourgeois-Gosselin and C. Lefebvre and D. Berner and R. Dell'Acqua and P. Jolicœur},

url = {http://colab.psy.unipd.it/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/pphys_reading_15.pdf},

year  = {2017},

date = {2017-02-01},

journal = {Paper submitted to Psychophysiology},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Reynolds2017,

title = {A dual task account of non-color word interference on color naming},

author = {M. Reynolds and C. Mulatti and F. Peressotti and R. Job and R. Dell'Acqua},

url = {http://colab.psy.unipd.it/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/jephpp_colnam_15.pdf},

year  = {2017},

date = {2017-02-01},

journal = {Paper submitted to Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Dell'Acqua2017inprep,

title = {On the spatial nature of attentional selection indexed by the N2pc component},

author = {R. Dell'Acqua and M. Doro and P. Jolicœur},

year  = {2017},

date = {2017-01-01},

journal = {Manuscript in preparation},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}