Automaticity & Attention

Question 1

Automatic Processing

Answer 1

1) Must occur without intention
2) Must be able to occur without conscious awareness (but can be consciously initiated)
3) Often interferes with other mental activities
4) Must involves consistent mapping (same stimulus/response pattern)

Question 2

Stroop Effect

Answer 2

• Classic example of automatic processing

- Supposed to name color of word (ink) but not the word itself (e.g. “White” = black/gray)

Question 3

Algorithmic Theory of Automaticity

Answer 3

• Automaticity = procedural memory
• Multiple stages become linked together
• You’re really good @ it, so it all happens at once

Question 4

Memory-Based Theory of Automaticity

Answer 4

• Automaticity = memory retrieval
• Occurs in a single stage
• Retrieving is the RESULT of each time you’ve encountered the problem

Question 5

Retrieved Instance Models

Answer 5

• Associations depend on compared values (2 is large compared to 0)

Question 6

SNARC Effect

Answer 6

• Discovered by Stan Deheane
• P’s made odd/even judgments with right and left hands.
• For Westerners: small digits were faster with left hand and large ones were faster with the right hand.
• Opposite for Arabic/Easterners
• Israeli P’s, no effect
• Depends on typical orientation of text/reading

Question 7

Attention

Answer 7

Attention is the cognitive process of selectively concentrating on one thing while ignoring others (e.g. Cocktail Party Effect)

Question 8

Differences between Attention & Automaticity

Answer 8

• Attention requires intention; automatic does not.
• Attention requires conscious awareness; automatic does not.
• Attention consumes cognitive/attentional resources; auto does not.
• Attention is done serially (one to the next); auto performed in parallel
• Attention is slow; auto is fast
• Attention is required for novel, unpracticed tasks; auto is for well-known, highly practiced tasks
• Attention is used for difficult tasks; auto for easy.