Attention Flashcards
Attention
Family of capacity-limited cognitive processes where certain info is prioritised (selected) at the expense of other things
Why does a cognitive system need attention
To stop it being overwhelmed by demand (nightclub metaphor). We cannot process all information arriving at our senses.
How does attention operate
By selecting some things for further cognitive processing at the expense of others
External attention
The things attention selects are in the external world (outside the mind) eg. Sounds in room
Internal attention
Things selected are in internal world (thought, feelings, memories) eg. How many rooms in childhood house?
External vs internal dichotomy issue
Not perfect - drop hammer and focus on pain - external or internal?
Overt attention
External information selected via eye movements (information is foveated - fovea in eye)
Covert attention
External attention selected for processing without eye movements to the source of information
Overt and covert attention are…
Both kinds of external attention
Eye tracking data
Estimate overt attention by patterns of fixations (periods when eyes still) and saccades (eye moverments)
Voluntary attention
Direct attention to object by conscious violation (me falling asleep by focusing on my breaths)
reflexive attention
Captures attention because of unconscious processes
Reflexive external attention is usually..
Overt. Voluntary and reflexive attention can be either internal or external
Sustained attention
Selects a single stimuli for processing. Eg complete focus on study notes
Divided attention
Selects multiple stimuli for processing at the same time
Problem with divided attention
Performance suffers eg why texting and driving is dangerous
Capacity-limited attention
There is an upper limit on how many things we can attend to at once
Spatial attention
Selectively process visual info through prioritisation of a visual area. Posner cueing task - spatial attention improves target detection performance
Feature-based attention
Pay attention to same feature across multiple different spatial locations
- eg visual features: colour, shape, direction of motion, orientation,spatial frequency
- eg auditory features: pitch, timbre
- eg taste: citrus notes in wine
How do l use feature-based attention every day
Looking for an app - look for calendar by white apps with numbers
Object-based attention
We can pay attention to a visual object even when it over laps with another.
Paying attention to one feature enhances processing
Sensory attention
Attention can select one sensory modality over another - usually vision
Attentional selection
Core function of attention is selecting info and filtering out other
Early selection theories
Attention operates after low level features are extracted and before stimuli are processed for semantic meaning.
Evidence from dichotic listening experiments (different things in each ear and cannot pick up both)
Broadbent filter model
Attention is a filter that selects a single message and screens all others out.
Filter is based on low level sensory features
Attention operates before meaning is extracted
Kind of early selection model
Problem with broadbents filter model
Dichotic listening studies challenged it
Cannot explain why meaning is extracted when persons hears their name in unattended ear. Eg dear aunt Jane study (people should hear dear 7 Jane)
How does the selection process work
1- info them external world 2- sensory memory butter 3- low level features extracted 4/5 - attention or semantic meaning extracted 6- working memory
Treisman’s attenuator model
Attention is attenuator not filter
Early selection model
Amplifies selected message and attenuates others
Added stage in treismons attenuator model
Attenuated info is passed to dictionary unit to analyse meaning
Threshold of word depends if they’ll be passed on eg own name has low threshold
Late selection model
Places filter after extraction of semantic memory
Hard time accounting for dichotic listening experiments
Lavie’s load theory
Semantic processing of unattended info depends on cognitive load
Low = spare resources that are automatically used for semantic processing of unattended info
High = No spare resources = no semantic processing of unattended info
Lavie’s load theory example
More automatic a task = more resources for processing other info
Eg phones distract experienced drivers more than learners
Feature extraction and binding
Before attending to a stimulus its represented as a set of unconnected features
By attending those features bind together (solve the binding problem)
Eg Some people with parietal lobe damage show impaired binding
Evidence for free-floating features before attention
Illusory conjunction - features from two objects bound together
Feature (easier as does not require attention) vs conjunction search (cannot be done by parietal lobe damage patient)
What shows low level features are pre-attentive
Feature extraction and binding
Distraction
Attention to a primary task is interrupted by another task or stimulus
Attentional capture
Stimulus attracts reflexive attention (Unconscious process)
Very good capturing attention = highly salient stimulus
Factors influencing stimulus salience
- Distinctiveness- Aquire salience by not sharing many perceptual features with nearby stimuli
- Semantic meaning- Aquire salience by being meaningful eg own name
- Association with threat or reward - strong positive or negative emotions = high salience eg . dot probe task stimuli after strong is more salient (stronger effect after neg with anxiety)
Unlearn attentional capture
Cannot even after 2000 trials detection of the target is slower with salient distractor
Internal attentional capture
Mind wandering eg- counting backwards and thoughts capture attention
Eg. Rumination - get stuck in negative repetitive thoughts
Anxious, depressive or angry rumination
ADHD misunderstanding
Inattention and hyperactivity are 2 distinct components
Inattention ADHD
6 or more symptoms of inatttention persisting for at least 6 months that it is impairing
1- fails to give attention
2- trouble holding attention
4 - trouble following through (loses focus, side tracked)
6- dislikes mental effort over long periods
8- easily distracted
Attentional blink
Difficult to select 2 different objects in the same spatial location if they occur close in time - attention blinks
Assessed with rapid serial visual presentation(RSVP)
Difficulty identifying 2nd stimuli if displayed 200-500 milliseconds after 1st
Inattentional blindness
Phenomena that shows we are unconscious of perfectly visible stimuli unless we pay attention to it
eg- famous gorilla experiment
Eg- magic tricks
Change blindnesses
Incapable of detecting changes to stimuli unless we are paying attention to the relevant part of it
Balint’s syndrome
Occurs after bilateral damage to parietal lobe
3 attentional impairments:
1. stimultagnosla - inability to pay attention to more than 1 object simultaneously
2. oculomotor apraxia - inability to make voluntary eye movements to objects
3. Optic ataxia - inability to guide hand toobject using visual attention
Hemispatial neglect
Caused by unilateral damage to partial lobe (more common after right side damage)
Causes extreme difficulty directing attention to contralateral side of visual field
Eg. Piazza del duomo - effect internal or external spatial attention
