Attention

Question 1

attention

Answer 1

behavioral or cognitive process of concentrating on information, requires cognitive effort and is associated with consciousness or awareness

Question 2

focused attention

Answer 2

ability to concentrate on a target stimulus

Question 3

divided attention

Answer 3

ability to process different info and multitask

Question 4

what is the main difference between brain areas required for focused vs divided attention

Answer 4

divided attention requires more pre-frontal cortex and parietal regions (because it requires more cognitive attention)

Question 5

3 theories of attention

Answer 5

1 - bottleneck
2 - single resource pool
3 - multiple resource pool

Question 6

bottleneck theory

Answer 6

• there is a continual flow of info that is impeded at some point by a filter that will decide what will be processed
• earliest theory
• doesn’t explain dual tasks

Question 7

single resource theory

Answer 7

• we have one pool of attentional resources and can do more than one task if we don’t exceed our pools capacity
• capacity is influenced by level of arousal

Question 8

multiple resource theory

Answer 8

• there are multiple attention mechanisms (resource pools) each related to a specific activity

Question 9

4 resources pools of the multiple resource theory

Answer 9

1) input
2) output
3) stage of info processing
4) codes
* we are more able to multi task if we do things in different boxes

Question 10

input = _______ processing

Answer 10

sensory

Question 11

output = _________ processing

Answer 11

motor

Question 12

stage of info processing concerns

Answer 12

perception, decision making, and execution

Question 13

codes = ____________ processing

Answer 13

cognitive/memory

Question 14

4 factors that influence attention demands

Answer 14

1 - environment and task complexity
2 - skill level of performed
3 - number of cues
4 - arousal

Question 15

arousal

Answer 15

level of activation/excitement of a person’s CNS

Question 16

anxiety

Answer 16

that way a person interprets a situation and the resulting emotions

Question 17

what principle describes the influence of arousal on performance?

Answer 17

inverted U principle

Question 18

inverted U principle

Answer 18

the principle that increased arousal improves performance only to a point, with degraded performance as arousal increases further

Question 19

the zone of optimal performance varies based on the _________________

Answer 19

person, task, and environment

Question 20

when our arousal level is low, our attentional focus is _______. As it gets closer to the optimal zone of performance, our attentional focus becomes more __________.

Answer 20

broad, narrow
* this allows us to focus on relevant cues

Question 21

what happens when arousal levels continue to increase beyond optimal level of performace?

Answer 21

perceptual narrowing

Question 22

what is the issue with perceptual narrowing

Answer 22

individual may becomes so focused that they miss important perceptual cues

Question 23

selective attention

Answer 23

• ability to maintain a behavioral or cognitive set in the face of distraction
• ability to attend to meaningful things and ignore others

Question 24

focused attention

Answer 24

ability to respond discretely to specific visual, auditory, or tactile stimuli

Question 25

internal focus of attention

Answer 25

within the body
“keep your balance by stabilizing your body”

Question 26

external focus of attention

Answer 26

outside the body
“keep your balance by stabilizing the platform”

Question 27

is internal or external focus of attention better for motor learning and transfer?

Answer 27

external

Question 28

alternating attention

Answer 28

the ability of mental flexibility that allows individuals to shift their focus of attention and move between tasks having different cognitive requirements

Question 29

which involves more cues: broad or narrow attention

Answer 29

broad

Question 30

stepping over an object is what kind of attention

Answer 30

narrow external

Question 31

focusing on knee motion during running is what kind of attention

Answer 31

narrow internal

Question 32

developing a strategy of how to run a mud run is what kind of attention

Answer 32

broad internal

Question 33

running in busy traffic is what kind of attention

Answer 33

broad external

Question 34

divided attention

Answer 34

ability to respond simultaneously to multiple tasks or task demands