6. Attention: What happens to the info we ignore?

Question 1

What does the “Dichotic Listening Task” involve?

Answer 1

• Present different messages to each ear
• Subjects attended one ear and ignored the other
• Repeat attended message out loud - shadowing

Question 2

What were the results of the dichotic listening task?

Answer 2

• pts shadowed the attended message easily
• when asked about the unattended message physical characteristics were usually reported but not much else (e.g. sex of voice, large changes in pitch)

Question 3

In the dichotic listening task, people rarely noticed when the unattended message was what two things?

Answer 3

1. In a foreign language
2. Reversed speech

Question 4

No content was remembered in the unattended message in the dichotic listening task, even when the same word was presented ____ times.

Answer 4

35

Question 5

Broadbent’s filter theory (1985) is an early-selection model. It states that filtering occurs when?

Answer 5

Before incoming stimuli are analysed to the semantic level.

Question 6

What is the function of the following components of the filter model?
1. Sensory store
2. Filter
3. Detector
4. Short-term memory

Answer 6

1. Holds incoming info for short period of time
2. Analyses messages based on physical characteristics like tone of voice, pitch, location of stimulus (which ear)
3. Info is processed to determine meaning
4. Holds info for general processing

Question 7

Moray (1959) found that subjects heard … in the unattended stream

Answer 7

Their name

Question 8

Treisman (1960) found bilinguals were influenced by unattended stream if it is in …

Answer 8

Their second language

Question 9

What is the key modification of Treisman’s attenuation model from the filter theory?

Answer 9

Unattended messages attenuated rather than lost completely

Question 10

Words need to meet a certain ____ of ____ strength to be ____.
____ for certain words are ____

Answer 10

Threshold, signal, detected
Thresholds, lowered

Question 11

Late selection models believe that both attended and ignored inputs are processed to stage of ____ analysis

Answer 11

Semantic (meaning)

Question 12

Late selection models believe that selection takes place at a ____ stage of processing and is based on analysis of which input is most ____/demands a ____

Answer 12

Higher
Important, response

Question 13

In MacKay’s (1973) Dichotic listening task, what was in the attended and the unattended stream?

Answer 13

Attended = ambiguous sentence
Unattended = biasing word

Question 14

Late selection models can explain r____ c____ i____

Answer 14

Response competition interference

Question 15

Late selection models can explain n____ p____, which is…

Answer 15

Negative priming
Responses to previously ignored stimuli are slowed

Question 16

What was the task and results of Tipper and Driver (1988). What does this suggest?

Answer 16

Task - categorise red stimuli, ignore green
Result - responses to word slowed when preceded by semantically related IGNORED picture
Suggests ignored stimuli is semantically categorised… and inhibited.

Question 17

Lavie’s Load Theory states that both ____ and ____ selection are possible.
The stage of selection depends on the availability of ____ ____.
This is turn depends on the ____ ____ of the task stimuli.

Answer 17

early, late
perceptual capacity
perceptual demands (or “load”)

Question 18

The Load Theory states that perceptual capacity is limited.
Tasks with high perceptual load…
Task with low perceptual load…

Answer 18

Exhaust capacity
Leave spare capacity

Question 19

What are two findings from behavioural measures of distraction that support the load theory?

Answer 19

1. Response competition effects found under low load
2. Reduced or eliminated under high load

Question 20

Neuroimaging evidence shows us that high perceptual load reduces…

Answer 20

visual cortex response to background
amygdala response to fearful faces

Question 21

Perceptual capacity differences are associated with what three things?

Answer 21

1. Autism
2. Age (children and older adults have reduced capacity)
3. Video game experience

Question 22

Green and Bavelier (2003) found that video game players remained distracted under high load. Similar effects are found in relation to what three things?

Answer 22

1. Autism
2. Age
3. Congenital deafness

Question 23

Early selection theories believe that irrelevant information is ____ or ____ at the ____ stage of processing.
____ information is not processed.

Answer 23

filtered, attenuated
Semantic

Question 24

Late selection theories believe that ____ stimuli is processed to the point of ____.
Selection takes place at a ____ stage of processing and my involve ____.

Answer 24

all, meaning
later, inhibition

Question 25

The Load theory believes that both early and late ____ are possible depending on ____ ____ of task stimuli

Answer 25

selection, perceptual load.