Undergraduate Research Conference Proceedings

Attention is a critical component of human cognition that enables the prioritization of relevant information, awareness of task demands, and enhanced cognitive processing. Attention can be shaped by selection history, where past experiences with stimuli influence future attentional allocation, independent of current goals. When features of these stimuli have been previously associated with reward, a phenomenon known as value-driven attention capture emerges, in which these features continue to bias attention even when no longer task-relevant. Recent research suggests that value-driven attentional biases may be strengthened under conditions that promote neuroplasticity, such as exogenous brain stimulation or heightened physiological arousal. In the present study, we investigated whether acute aerobic exercise modulates value-driven attention capture. Participants completed a visual search task designed to associate color with reward during a learning phase. The experimental group completed this task interleaved with acute bouts of treadmill high-intensity interval training (HIIT), while the control group completed the task at rest. In a subsequent testing phase performed at rest by both groups, reward contingencies were removed. While both groups successfully learned reward associations, participants in the exercise group demonstrated enhanced value-driven capture effects compared to more selection-driven effects in the control group, suggesting exercise-induced modulation of attentional control. The findings support our hypothesis that states of physiological arousal can facilitate neuroplasticity in attention systems. This work highlights the potential of acute exercise as a cognitive modulator and opens avenues for future research regarding the effects of physiological states on attentional learning.