Attention and Perception

Question 1

What is sensation?

Answer 1

The stimulus detection process by which our sense organs respond to and translate environmental stimuli into nerve impulses that are sent to the brain ‘Is there anything out there?’

Question 2

What is perception?

Answer 2

The active process of organising the stimulus output and giving it meaning ‘What is it, where is it, what is it doing?’

Question 3

Explain the difference between top-down and bottom-up processing.

Answer 3

Bottom-up processing = a process that consists of recognising and processing information from individual components of a stimulus and constructing a perception of the whole Top-down processing = prior knowledge, expectations or thoughts act on this information to influence our final perceptual state

Question 4

What is assimilation?

Answer 4

Incorporating new experiences into existing schema

Question 5

What is accommodation?

Answer 5

The difference made by the process of assimilation

Question 6

What are the two different types of attention and how are they different?

Answer 6

Focused attention – ability to respond discretely to specific visual, auditory and tactile stimuli Divided attention – highest level of attention – refers to the ability to respond simultaneously to multiple tasks or multiple task demands

Question 7

What factors afect top down perception?

Answer 7

• Attention
• Past experiences e.g. poor people overestimate size of coins compared to wealthy people
• Current drive state e.g. when hungry more likely to notice food-related stimuli
• Emotions e.g. anxiety and threat perception in PTSD
• Individual values & expectations e.g. telling people a stimulus is likely to be painful makes them more likely to report pain
• Environment
• Cultural background

Question 8

What is attention?

Answer 8

Attention is the process of focusing conscious awareness, providing heightened sensitivity to a limited range of experience requiring more intensive processing.

Question 9

What are the 2 processes of attention?

Answer 9

• Focus on a certain aspect
• Filter out other information

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Question 10

What stimulus factors affect attention?

Answer 10

• Intensity
• Novelty
• Movement
• Contrast
• Repetition

Question 11

What are the personal factors affecting attention?

Answer 11

• Motives
• Interests
• Threats
• Mood
• Arousal