S’il est admis que notre attention est préférentiellement orientée vers les stimuli émotionnels, les dimensions du stimulus qui sont responsables d’un tel biais font toujours l’objet d’un débat. Contrairement aux conceptions classiques qui proposent que l’attention émotionnelle (i.e., l’amélioration du traitement de l’information émotionnelle) est guidée de façon bottom-up par la valence ou l’arousal, le Modèle des Processus Composants propose que l’attention émotionnelle est guidée de façon plutôt top-down par la pertinence des stimuli. Dans cette perspective, l’attention émotionnelle serait un mécanisme à part entière qui serait responsable d’une capture attentionnelle valence non-spécifique et automatique par les stimuli pertinents pour les buts et besoins de l’individu. De plus, un tel mécanisme serait guidé par l’appraisal de l’individu plutôt que par les caractéristiques intrinsèques du stimulus. Dans la première partie expérimentale de cette thèse, nous présentons plusieurs études qui ont été conduites afin de tester l’existence de ce mécanisme. Tout d’abord, les résultats de ces études ont révélé des effets de capture et d’interférence attentionnelles par des stimuli pertinents positifs et négatifs, ce qui est cohérent avec l’idée que l’attention émotionnelle est valence non-spécifique. Ensuite, ces études ont mis en évidence une modulation du biais attentionnel provoqué par un unique stimulus en fonction de sa pertinence, ce qui suggère que l’attention émotionnelle est guidée par l’appraisal de l’individu et non par les caractéristiques intrinsèques du stimulus. Enfin, les données soutiennent aussi l’hypothèse selon laquelle l’attention émotionnelle est automatique, puisque les stimuli pertinents ont provoqué une interférence alors même qu’il était explicitement demandé aux participants de ne pas les traiter. La seconde partie expérimentale de cette thèse s’intéressait à l’effet de la pertinence sur le comportement non-émotionnel subséquent à l’apparition d’un stimulus pertinent. Les résultats de l’étude présentée montrent que la pertinence influence le comportement de façon valence spécifique, en interaction avec les tendances à l’action. Ces données soutiennent aussi un modèle d’organisation des émotions selon deux systèmes motivationnels qui se déploient de l’orientation de l’attention vers la préparation à l’action. Enfin, la troisième partie expérimentale s’intéressait au traitement attentionnel de la pertinence chez une patiente ayant une lésion amygdalienne unilatérale. Les données ont montré une amplification du traitement des stimuli positifs pertinents, interprétée en termes d’effet de contre-régulation affective due à une sensibilité exacerbée de la patiente aux stimuli négatifs. Plus généralement, ce travail de thèse souligne l’importance de la notion d’appraisal, en particulier l’appraisal de pertinence, dans le guidage de l’attention émotionnelle, et dans la mise en œuvre du comportement. / If it is admitted that our attention is preferentially oriented toward emotional stimuli, there is no consensus on which stimulus dimension is responsible for such a bias. Contrary to classical conceptions that propose that emotional attention (i.e., the boosting of the processing of emotional information) is guided in a bottom-up way by negative valence or arousal, the Component Process Model posits that emotional attention is rather guided in a top-down way by the relevance of the stimulus. In that perspective, emotional attention would be a mechanism that can be reduced neither to exogenous nor to endogenous attention that would be responsible for an automatic and valence non-specific attention capture by stimuli that have and important place in the hierarchy of the goals and needs of an individual. Moreover, such a mechanism would be driven by the appraisal of the individual rather than by the intrinsic characteristics of the stimulus. In the first experimental part of this thesis, several studies were conducted in order to test the existence of such a mechanism. First, the results of these studies revealed both attentional captures and interferences by positive and negative relevant stimuli, which is consistent with the idea that emotional attention is valence non-specific. Second, these studies also showed a modulation of the attentional bias produced by a unique stimulus, as a function of its relevance, which suggests that emotional attention is driven by the appraisal of the individual rather than by the intrinsic characteristics of the stimulus. Third, the data also support the hypothesis that emotional attention is automatic, i.e., that it escapes voluntary control, because relevant stimuli provoked an attentional interference even if the participants were explicitly told not to process them. The second experimental part of the thesis focused on the effect of relevance on the non-emotional behaviour following the onset of a relevant stimulus. In this framework, the results of the study presented showed that relevance influences behaviour in a valence specific way, in interaction with action tendencies. The data also provide support to the organization of emotions in two motivational systems that evolve from attention orientation to action preparation. Eventually, the third experimental part dealt with the attentional processing of relevance in a patient with unilateral amygdala lesion. The presented study revealed an amplified processing of positive relevant stimuli that was interpreted in terms of an affective counter-regulation effect that could be caused by an exacerbated sensitivity of the patient to negative stimuli. On the whole this thesis points out the critical role played by the appraisal, particularly the appraisal of relevance, in the guidance of emotional attention, and in the implementation of behaviour.

M.A. (Psychology) / Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), characterised by problems relating to attention, impulsive behaviour and hyperactivity, has become widely accepted to be a neurodevelopmental disorder that persists into adulthood for a large proportion of the ADHD population. ADHD symptoms are reported to undergo developmental transformation from childhood to adulthood, resulting in a significantly different clinical picture of adult ADHD. This signals a need to move away from reliance on childhood models of the disorder. Current conceptions of both childhood and adult ADHD do not discuss the occurrence of hyperfocus (or flow), a symptom which seems to connote an extreme form of sustained attention and which has been noted in clinical work. The possibility that hyperfocus could occur in ADHD is unexpected and poses a challenge to current formulations of inattention in ADHD. Media settings have been identified as providing the conditions needed for one to enter the hyperfocus state. This study set out to explore the possible symptom of hyperfocus in ADHD and to attempt to identify the neural correlates thereof, using electroencephalograph (EEG). A sample of 10 participants (5 ADHD, 5 non-ADHD) was recruited using the Adult ADHD Self Report Scale V-1.1 (ASRS V-1.1) Screener and a biographical questionnaire. A quasi-experimental research design was employed, whereby EEG recordings of frontal, frontal midline and parietal regions were taken for each participant during resting states (Eyes Closed and Eyes Open) and whilst playing a first person shooter game. Post-test survey questionnaires were also administered to examine the participants’ time perception during game play. Between-group and within-group differences in absolute and relative power scores were examined, using non-parametric statistical methods (Mann-Whitney-U test and Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test) to analyse the data. Possible markers for hyperfocus were identified, namely significantly lower alpha and beta levels in the ADHD group, as well as a decrease in slow-wave activity over time, as well as post-test survey data that indicated a greater degree of distorted time perception in the ADHD group during game play. Significant between- and within-group differences found in the parietal region highlight the need for further research into the role of the parietal lobe in attention functions and in ADHD. Further, significant changes in cortical activity in the progression from Eyes Closed to Eyes Open in both groups warrant further investigation.

M.A. (Psychology) / The purpose of this study was to determine whether an improvement in the self-efficacy for social situations in children with minimal brain-dysfunction would lead to an improvement in their social behavior. For this purpose a scale was constructed and validated for the assessment of self-efficacy in social situations. Fifty children with minimal brain-dysfunction, selected according to certain criteria, were then divided into an experimental and control group ...

M.A. (Clinical Psychology) / Although Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) was once thought to occur exclusively in the course of childhood, remitting in adolescence, it is increasingly accepted as a valid diagnosis in adulthood, with DSM-5 providing diagnostic criteria adapted for adults. Symptoms of ADHD in adulthood can lead to impairment in the occupational and tertiary educational environments among others, and additionally can lead to individual differences in ability to perform certain occupational functions, as well as in the occupations to which an individual may be attracted. Adults with ADHD have been shown to differ significantly in personality from non-ADHD adults. The "goodness of fit" between personality and environment underlies much of the predominant understanding of occupational choice. In addition to impairment in the work environment, a lack of fit may exist between adults with ADHD and many features common to organisations. Despite this, along with acknowledgement of the influence of career choice on various factors, including success, emotional welfare and personal productivity, there is a lack of literature dealing specifically with career counselling in ADHD populations. In order to investigate the differences between adults with and without ADHD in a number of areas commonly assessed for career counselling and guidance purposes, an ADHD screening tool, the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) was administered to a sample (n=60) of adults with and without ADHD. Participants were then assigned to ADHD and non-ADHD groups on the basis of ASRS scores in conjunction with diagnostic history, and assessed by means of the Self-directed Search Questionnaire (SDS), and the Basic Traits Inventory (BTI). Tests for between-group differences revealed significant differences on a small number of variables with the ADHD group scoring significantly higher on only the Enterprising type of the SDS. On the BTI, the ADHD group scored significantly higher on Extraversion, and significantly lower on Conscientiousness. The ADHD group also scored significantly higher on the Actions, Ideas, and Imagination facets of the BTI's Openness to Experience factor.

Ce travail de thèse a pour objectif d'explorer le rôle de l'attention visuelle dans les traitements visuels précoces en lecture. Il repose sur le cadre théorique du modèle mémoire multitrace de lecture (MTM) et de l'hypothèse du trouble de l'empan visuo-attentionel (VA) dans la dyslexie développementale. La capacité d'attention visuelle est opérationnalisée par l'empan VA, défini comme le nombre maximal d'éléments visuels qui peuvent être traités en parallèle. L'empan VA contribue significativement aux performances en lecture et est réduit chez une partie de la population dyslexique. Une série de trois études a exploré les relations entre l'attention visuelle, l'empan VA et la lecture chez le normo-lecteur. Dans une première étude, nous avons testé si le traitement des lettres dans les tâches de report de l'empan VA était parallèle ou sériel. Dans une deuxième étude, nous avons cherché à spécifier le rôle de l'attention visuelle dans l'empan VA et la lecture. Enfin, dans une troisième étude, nous voulions mettre en évidence à l'aide de l'IRMf l'implication des réseaux neuronaux de l'attention visuelle dans les traitements pré-orthographiques. Ces trois études suggèrent que l'attention visuelle est une composante importante des traitements pré-orthographiques de séquences de lettres. L'objectif de la deuxième série d'études était de montrer qu'un déficit de l'attention visuelle est l'explication la plus plausible du déficit de l'empan VA. Dans une quatrième étude, nous avons confronté les prédictions d'une explication phonologique ou visuelle du déficit de l'empan VA pour une tâche de catégorisation de séquences de caractères. Enfin, une dernière étude a évalué les corrélats neuronaux associés au traitement visuel de séquences de caractères chez des adultes dyslexiques avec trouble de l'empan VA. Ces deux dernières études suggèrent que le trouble sous-jacent au déficit de l'empan VA est bien une réduction de la capacité d'attention visuelle et non pas un déficit des capacités de recodage verbal. / This doctoral thesis aims to investigate the role of visual attention in the visual front-end of reading. It is grounded in the theoretical framework of the multi trace memory model (MTM) of reading and of the visual attention (VA) span deficit hypothesis of developmental dyslexia. Visual attention capacity in the MTM model is operationalized by the VA span, defined as the maximum number of individual visual elements that can be processed in parallel. VA span contributes significantly to reading performance in normal reading children and is selectively impaired in a subset of the dyslexic population. Three studies investigated the role of visual attention in VA span and visual word recognition in normal reading. A first study tested whether letter processing in the VA span whole report task was parallel or serial. A second study specified the role of visual attention in VA span and reading speed. Finally, a third study used fMRI to investigate whether pre-orthographic processing involves neural networks of visual attention. These three studies argue for visual attention as an important component of pre-orthographic processing. A second series of studies aimed to show that an impairment of visual attention best accounts for the VA span deficit. In a fourth study, predictions of phonological and visual accounts of the VA span deficit were tested using a multiple character categorization task. Finally, a fifth study explored the neural correlates of multiple character processing in VA span impaired adults. These last two studies argue for reduced visual attention capacity and not poor verbal recoding abilities as the underlying cause for the VA span deficit.

Afin de mieux comprendre les phénomènes hypnotiques décrits dans le domaine de la recherche expérimentale, nous avons réalisé un travail de synthèse sur les différents cadres théoriques de l’hypnose. A l’issue de travail de synthèses nous avons pu proposer une redéfinition et une modélisation, le Modèle I3, de ce que l’on appelle « hypnose » en pensant ces situations en termes de mécanismes psychologiques et cognitifs simples. Dans le but de tester notre modélisation, nous avons construit une série d’expérimentations autour de deux phénomènes hypnotiques dits « sensoriels » présents dans les échelles d’hypnotisabilité standards : « le bras lourd » et « l’hallucination du moustique ». Grâce à l’application d’une suggestion « engageant l’intéroception et l’imagination » (EII) issue de notre modélisation, il nous a été possible d’augmenter, largement au-dessus des résultats obtenus dans la littérature, l’hypnotisabilité de sujets non spécifiquement sélectionnés pour leurs habiletés hypnotiques, et cela sans entraînement, ni induction hypnotique préalable. Enfin, dans une dernière expérience, nous avons voulu appliquer notre modélisation à un phénomène hypnotique plus complexe et impliquant un processus automatique non contrôlable : l’annulation de l’effet Stroop. Notre suggestion EII permet de réduire l’effet Stroop sur des sujets non sélectionnés, mais ne semble pas suffisamment efficace pour produire des hallucinations visuelles assez puissantes ou assez prégnantes ayant un effet aussi massif que celui obtenu avec des sujets Hautement Hypnotisables. Les implications de notre travail sont discutées en dernière partie. / In order to better understand the hypnotic phenomena described in the field of experimental research, we produced a synthesis on the different theories of hypnosis. This synthesis work allowed us to propose a redefinition and a modeling, the I3 Model, of what we call "hypnosis" by thinking these situations in terms of simple psychological and cognitive mechanisms.To test our modeling, we have built a series of experiments around two "sensory" hypnotic phenomena present in the standard hypnotizability scales: "arm immobilization" and "mosquito hallucination". Thanks to the application of a suggestion "engaging in interoception and imagination" (EII) resulting from our modeling, it has been possible to increase, largely above the results obtained in the literature, the hypnotisability of subjects not specifically selected for their hypnotic skills, without training or prior hypnotic induction.Finally, in a last experiment, we wanted to apply our modeling to a more complex hypnotic phenomenon involving an uncontrollable automatic process: the Stroop effect cancellation. Our EII suggestion makes it possible to reduce the Stroop effect on unselected subjects, but does not seem efficient enough to produce powerful visual hallucinations having such a massive effect as that obtained with High Hypnotisable subjects.The implications of our work are discussed in conclusion.

Few studies have evaluated the impact of mindfulness programmes on aspects of positive functioning amongst mainstream children and problems in design, sample size, and measurement are commonplace. The present study sought to address this and rigorously evaluate the impact of a 6-hour manualised mindfulness programme called 'Paws .b' on mainstream Primary School aged pupils' suppressing and sustaining attention skills, and their academic proxy measures. Two classes of Year-4 pupils (n = 30), their class teachers (n = 3), and a mindfulnessteacher (n = 1) were recruited from a mixed comprehensive Primary School. A quasi-mixed methods Randomised Control Trial (RCT) design with a quasi-experimentalintervention cross-lag was used. There were four data collection time-points 6- to 8-weeks apart. Pupils and class teachers were randomly assigned to the experimental group or the waitlist control group. Experimental pupils received a 1-hour Paws .b lesson per week for 6-weeks between baseline and Time-1; waitlist control pupils received Paws .b between Time-1 and Time-2. The remaining time-points acted as the 6- to 8-week and 14-week follow-ups. Quantitative data were gathered using teacher-reported and standardised attention measures, and teacher-reported academic proxy measures. Qualitative data were gathered using post-intervention pupil focus groups (FGs) and teacher semi-structured interviews. Within-condition comparisons revealed several significant pre- vs. post-intervention effects within the attention measures, the majority of which were maintained at one or both of the follow-ups, whereby several large estimated effect sizes were noted. Between-condition comparisons revealed a number of significant partial condition × time-point interactions within the attention measures. However, no significant effects were noted within the academic proxy measures. Positive and critically constructive evaluative themes were identified within the qualitative data. Findings were discussed relative to mindfulness and attention literature, and further implications for school implementation and future research were outlined.

Extant attention theories explain how individuals direct attention towards different stimuli. However, the theories are relatively silent about how attention is switched off, other than the idea that attention to a stimulus may cease because another stimulus overwhelms the first in its demand for attention. We theorized that individuals have a tendency to ‘not switch off’ attention from a current process, in the absence of a competing stimulus that wrenches attention away from it. We present evidence consistent with this attentional bias – individuals continue attending to an ongoing mundane process until it reaches its ‘end’, even when that attention is normatively unwarranted, namely under conditions where (1) they cannot control or influence the process and (2) they are aware of the outcome with a reasonable degree of certainty as well. Moreover, since attention is a limited capacity resource, such attentional hijacking is negatively hedonically marked which gets mis-attributed to salient available targets. Consequently, we also demonstrate decreased positivity in attitudes towards entities associated with the incomplete process.

La tâche Stroop est une tâche très utilisée en psychologie car elle permet entre autres l'étude des processus dit automatiques. Cependant, récemment l'utilisation d'une présentation bicolore dans cette tâche, associée aux études liées à une tâche de détection de lettre dans une tâche d'amorçage, suggère que l'accès à la sémantique ne serait pas automatique. Ce qui impliquerait une interprétation différente de la tâche Stroop. Nous avons testé l'hypothèse qu'en présentation bicolore, la diminution observée de l'effet Stroop ne serait pas dû à un blocage de la sémantique mais à une augmentation des capacités d'inhibition. Nous avons pour cela utilisé une condition "associée" qui consistait à présenter des mots associés à une couleur (par exemple "ciel" associé à bleu) afin d'étudier plus spécifiquement l'accès à la sémantique. Dans nos deux premières études reproduisant le protocole des précédentes avec un nombre de participants plus important, nous n'observons pas de diminution de l'effet Stroop associé. Nous avons ensuite utilisé les potentiels évoqués pour montrer la présence de la N400 en condition bicolore pour les mots de couleurs et associés à une couleur dans la tâche Stroop. Pour finir, après avoir testé la présence du biais attentionnel chez des patients alcoolo-dépendants avec une version française du "Alcohol Stroop Test", nous avons montré que des ressources attentionnelles étaient nécessaires pour observer une diminution de l'effet Stroop en présentation bicolore. L'ensemble de nos résultats suggère que la diminution de l'effet Stroop en présentation bicolore nécessite des ressources attentionnelles et que donc l'accès à la sémantique serait un processus automatique, mieux inhibé dans la présentation bicolore. La tâche Stroop utilisée en clinique refléterait donc bien un processus d'inhibition de processus automatiques. / The Stroop task is a well-used task in psychology, in particular because it allows the study of automatic process. Recently the use of a single letter coloring presentation in this task, associated with the studies related to a task of detection of letter, suggests that the access to semantics would not be automatic. This implies a different interpretation from the Stroop task. We tested the assumption that in single letter colored presentation, the reduction observed in the Stroop Effect would not be due to a blocking of semantics but to an increase on the capacities of inhibition. For that we used an "associated" condition where we presented words associated with a color (for example sky associated with blue) to more specifically study the access to semantics. In our two first studies reproducing the preceding protocol with a more important number of participants, we do not observe reduction in the associated stroop effect. Then we used the Potentials Evoked to show the presence of N400 in the single letter colored condition for color words and associated-words. To finish, after having tested the presence of an attentional bias among patients alcohol-dependent with a French version on Alcohol Stroop Test, we showed that attentional resources were necessary to observe a reduction in the Stroop Effect in single letter colored presentation. The whole of our results suggest that the reduction in the Stroop Effect in single letter colored presentation requires attentional resources. The semantic access would be an automatic process. The sense of the word could be inhibiting after activation in single letter colored presentation. The Stroop task used in clinical would thus reflect an inhibition capacity of automatic process.

Current theories of auditory attention are largely based upon studies examining either the presentation of a single auditory stimulus or requiring the identification and labeling of stimuli presented sequentially. Whether or not these theories apply in more complex ecologically-valid environments where multiple sound sources are simultaneously active is still unknown. This study examined the pattern of neuromagnetic responses elicited when participants had to perform a search in an auditory language-based `scene` for a stimulus matching an imperative target held in working memory. The analysis of source waveforms revealed left lateralized patterns of activity that distinguished target present from target absent trials. Similar source waveform amplitudes were found when the target was presented in the left or right hemispace. The results suggest that auditory search for speech sounds engage a left lateralized process in the superior temporal gyrus.