Attention: Attention Flashcards
Briefly describe the argument regarding the definition of attention.
- James William
- linked attention directly to consciouness - but we disagree with this - Pashler
- shouldn’t try to define “it” - Allport
- no simple theory of attention exist - Johnston + Dark
- reluctant to define it
What is a working definition?
- one that is denied within the research parameters
- can be bad when comparing researches
What did Kouider et al in 2006 do which was a good example of unconsciousness influence?
- Gaze contingent crowding paradigm
- using eye tracker they found peopel who saw happy faces = pleasant and opp etc
- crowding = having lots of other things preventing u from telling the facial expression
- upside down face = no effect
What evidence is there for attention without consciousness; unconscious attentional modulation?
Jang et al, 2006
- Continuation Flash Suppression (CFS)
- one side colour is changing, the other side an object
- if dot on right and lady on right = faster at detecting lady
- slower response for same gender
- BOOOO used to test homosexuality earlier
What is the BG of the CFS?
- when one pic is on one side and another on the other side, eyes switch from one pic to another = no merging
- doing this means one side u are not consciously aware of
What are the 2 working definitions of attention which have been adopted?
- Attention as a process
2. Attention as a resource
Define attention as a process
- selective attention: ability to preferentially process a subset of all available info
- sustained attention: ability to maintain a state of high alertness
Define attention as a resource
- a set of limited resources for cognitive processing
- divided attention: ability to distribute attention over a range of competing inputs
What is an example of selective auditory attention?
- Shadowing/ dichotic listening
- headphones, one ear hear experimenter + had to repeat (shadow) vs other ear random stuff
What did the shadowing/ dichotic listening experiment show about what ppt were unable to do?
- remember contents of the message
- remember language of message
- tell if speech was reversed
- tell if language was changed
What did the shadowing/ dichotic listening experiment show about what ppt were ABLE to do?
- tell if message was a voice or noise
- Tell if the voice changed gender
- Detect a sudden tone
{bottom up processing]
What led to the development of Early selection filter models - Broadbent’s Filter Theory ?
ppt being unable to tell the language being spoken in the non-shadow ear
Describe Broadbant;s Early selection filter models
- Perception
- all info perceived sent to sensory buffer
- all is then sent to the selective filter
- selections made on the basis of its gross physical properties - Only these reach the limited capacity processor
What evidence is there showing info goes beyond the “physical” is processed?
Von Wright et al, 1975
- SCRs to shock associated words despite not reporting hearing the word
- same setting as the shadowing experiment
- non-shadowing ear they heard the words
= unconscious processing of the word
Due to Von Wright et al’s findings of SCR to shock words, how did it affect Broadbant’s filter slection model?
New model:
Triesman’s attenuation model
- flexible filter
- provides good explanation for most of the data
Describe Triesman’s attentuation model
- Perception
- Sensory buffer - everything passes
- Attenuator
- attenuated channels = less processing put into them
- selected channels - Semantic analysis (based on variable threshold)
Why do our eyes move every 2-3 times a second?
- compensate for the very small area of the retina that is capable of processing visual info
What is misdirection and how do magicians use this to their advantage?
misdirection = result of the fact we only process info at fixations
- Kuhn + Tatler, 2005b
- ppt fitted with eye trackers
- those who fixated on the object at critical points saw them “disappear”
- DRUNK people morel likely to see through trick since their reaction time is slow so eyes don’t follow the hand misdirection
How have cog psy explored the nature of visual attention?
VISUAL SEARCH TASKS
- Popout -parallel processing
- simple research
- find red circle in sea of blue circle - Conjoint search - Serial processing
- find red square in sea of red circles + green squares etc
What is the difference between parallel vs Serial processing?
- Prallel searches = flat set size function
- no matter now many blue circles you add, the rate at which the red circle is found is the same - Serial searches = positive set function
- the more of all the different coloured shapes you add the longer it will take to spot the red circle
What have we learned from visual search experiments?
- basic feature analysis (colour/ orientation) occurs in parallel to single feature targets = pop out
- Feature integration occurs next, and attention = visual glue that allows different features to be combined to form a coherent perspective
Why do conjoint searches have positive set-size functions?
because each stimulus must be processed one at a time in order to bind the features together
- Feature integration Theory - Triesman, 1988
What did Ponser find about whether attention is about object or location in space?
- location in space = Ponser = cueing paradigm = covert orientation - endogenous cue (arrow) pointing right = quicker to spot right - slower in invalid cues
What is covert orientation?
attentional enhancement without the movement of eyes
According to Joula et al, does the spotlight metaphor of attention exist?
yes BUT
- when cue in the middle layer, center takes longer to react = our attention is kind of like a donut
When is less attention required for a task but why can this also be a problem?
When it has been practised for a while = automatic
- result in action slips
What does divided attention mean?
- doing more than one thing at a time
What 3 factors influence the extent to which two tasks can be successfully carried out simultaneously?
- How familiar the tasks are
- overlapping in any stage (input, storage, processing, output) = problems - How practiced the operator is
- How difficult the tasks are
