Attention

Question 1

Selective attention- what is the auditory system

Answer 1

• The cocktail party effect- tracking one conversation in the distraction of other conversations
• auditory systems can switch the attention and turn from pjs sound source to another - the binaural effect to sound localisation

Question 2

Selective attention- visual special attention

Answer 2

Visual spatial attention
• if a fixation point is fixed, but attends to another region without eye movement the stimuli in the covertly is better than the stimuli in the rest of the field.

Question 3

Filter theory

Answer 3

• filter takes place at sensory level based physical characteristics
• colour, sound, frequency, location
• only one channel of sensory info is allowed to proceed to the filter to reach process of perception and cognition.

Question 4

Broadbent’s Model (1958)

Answer 4

• unattended messages can be processed at a semantic level. For example- training
• processing with no awareness

Question 5

Attenuation theory of attention (1964) selective attention

Answer 5

• Attenuator- the analysis of the incoming message in terms of physical, language and meaning.
• dictionary unit contains words with threshold.

Question 6

The leaky filter model

Answer 6

• important words have low thresholds, a week signal in the unattended channel can active the word. ( hearing our name a cross the room)
• uncommon or unimportant words have higher thresholds so it takes a stroke single or the attended message in order to active the words.
• the attended message gets through. But some parts are weaker such as unattended messages.

Question 7

Late selection theory

Answer 7

• info can be filtered at different levels of processing depending on the task need.
• McKay (1973) load theory of attention
• processing capacity- how much info an individual can hold at any moments
• perceptual load- difficulty of a given task
• high load- difficult- uses high processing capacity
• low load- easy- use less processing capacity

Question 8

Different aspects of attention-

Automatic processing

Answer 8

• low attention demands
• associated with easy/ well practised tasks
• can occur without intention

Question 9

Controlled processing

Answer 9

• high attention demands
• associated with- difficult tasks that may not become automatic even with practice
• needs intention

Question 10

Stroop task

Answer 10

• automatic word reading interferes with colour naming even when we don’t try to read the words
• not intentionally controlled

Question 11

Overt attention

Answer 11

Moving the eyes to look directly at an object or interest

Question 12

Covert attention

Answer 12

Attending/ shifting attention to a location in the visual field- which is different from where the eyes are fixated

Question 13

Overt vs covert attention

Answer 13

It’s been proposed that covert visual attention coevolved with the gaze control system and over shift or attention ruin may have been proceeded by covert attentional shifts

Question 14

Inattentional blindness

Answer 14

A stimulus that is unattended and is not perceived even though a person may be looking directly at it

Question 15

Change blindness

Answer 15

Inability to detect change in the environment

Question 16

Divided attention

Answer 16

• practice enables people to do two things that were difficult at first.
• Schneider and shiffrin (1977)- divided attention between remembering targets and monitoring presented rapid stimuli.
• memory set- 1-4 targets
Test frames- can contain random dots. Targets and distractors

Question 17

Distributed attentional processing

Answer 17

• alerting- achieving high sensitivity to incoming stimuli
• Orienting- focusing attention where visual targets may appear both over and covert.
• executive control1 occurs for tasks that involve conflict- stroop task

Question 18

Default- mode network

Answer 18

• DMN- a network of active brain regions when the individual is not focused and the brain is resting.
• • hypothesised to generated spontaneous thoughts during mind wandering and may relate to creativity.
• attentional control system would be activated for demanding cognitive tasks- dmn will be activated when the mind is wandering