9A/B - The Role Of Attention In Perception/The Role Of Perception In Vision

Question 1

Sustained Attention

Answer 1

Focusing on one stimulus or task across a prolonged continuous period of time
E.g - watching a video from start to finish

Question 2

Selective Attention

Answer 2

Exclusively focusing attention on a specific stimulus or task while ignoring all other stimuli or tasks
E.g - in a crowded party only listening to friends conversation while ignoring surrounding ones

Question 3

Divided Attention

Answer 3

Splitting attention across two or more stimuli at one time
E.g - video gaming while talking to a friend

Question 4

Sustained Attention Key Characteristics

Answer 4

• The rarer the stimulus, the greater a person’s vigilance
• Sustained attention is greater when there is uncertainty around where the stimulus will be presented
• Sustained attention can only be maintained for a short period of time, regular breaks are needed
• The longer attention is sustained for, the higher the risk of missing information/misperceiving information

Question 5

Selective Attention Key Characteristics

Answer 5

• Involves a high level of conscious awareness and mental effort (controlled cognitive process)
• Although focus is on one stimulus, you can still be consciously aware of other things happening in the environment
• More likely to focus on salient stimuli (stimuli that are prominent and noticeable)

Question 6

Divided Attention Key Characteristics

Answer 6

• Is utilised when we are completing automatic cognitive processes on tasks that are either extremely well known to us or require little mental effort
• Only effective when neither task requires us to fully concentrate on it
• Harder to achieve effectively when the two tasks are similar/require the same sensory system (visual or auditory)
• More prone to distraction and reduced understanding of the task, decreasing performance

Question 7

Sensation Vs Perception

Answer 7

Sensation-
The process of receiving and detecting raw sensory stimuli via sensory organs and sending this information to the brain
Perception-
The process of selecting, organising, and interpreting sensory information

Question 8

Top-Down Processing

Answer 8

Drawing on past experiences and knowledge to interpret sensations
THEN
Interpreting information according to expectations
THEN
A perception is formed

Question 9

Bottom-Up Processing

Answer 9

Analysing specific features and elements of a stimulus
THEN
Creating a whole picture from individual elements
THEN
A perception is formed

Question 10

Top-Down Vs Bottom-Up Processing Venn Diagram

Question 11

Controlled Cognitive Processes

Answer 11

Cognitive task that requires a high level of conscious awareness and mental effort

Question 12

Automatic Cognitive Processes

Answer 12

A task that requires a low level of conscious awareness or mental effort

Question 13

Salient

Answer 13

A descriptor for anything that is prominent, conspicuous or otherwise noticeable when compared to its surroundings

Question 14

Schema

Answer 14

One’s pre-existing mental ideas relating to a given concept that help us organise and interpret new information

Question 15

The Effects Of Distractions

Answer 15

• Distractions are internal or external stimuli that draw attention away from the current task
• When distractions interfere with the completion of a task, individuals find themselves constantly have to refocus their attention
• Sustained attention involves the maintenance of attention even in the presence of distractions, and this is typically easier when the task is more engaging and the individual is less fatigued
• For example, someone who studies while listening to music may achieve sustained attention by focusing on answering questions, despite the external distraction of songs changing
• Therefore, while distractions can break sustained attention, it can also be achieved in the face of distraction