Ch. 5: Attention Flashcards
attentional load
A measure of how many processing resources are needed in order to perform a task.
attenuator model
A theory of attention in which unattended stimuli are processed but at a reduced level relative to attended stimuli.
autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
A developmental disorder that can lead to deficits in language
automatic processing
Processing that happens even without the allocation of selective attention
Balint syndrome
A neurological disorder typically resulting from damage to both parietal lobes that carries several attentional deficits including occulomotor apraxia and simultanagnosia.
change blindness
A form of inattentional blindness in which people have difficulty detecting the difference between two versions of a picture that are alternately presented.
cocktail party effect
The ability to attend to a specific voice in an environment in which other competing voices are present as well.
conjunction errors
Confusion between descrete features of stimuli not in one’s direct field of attention
conjunction search
A version of a visual-search task in which the target is distinguished from the distractors based on several features. (one diagonal red square in a field of straight red squares and diagonal green squares)
covert attention
Attentional selection and processing of a location while eye fixation is maintained elsewhere.
dichotic listening task
An experimental task designed to assess selective attention. Participants are presented, via headphones, with two different audio streams to each of the two ears and tasked with repeating only one of the streams while ignoring the other.
divided attention
The allocation of processing resources to multiple objects or tasks simultaneously.
early-selection models
A model of attention that posits that unattended information is filtered based on basic physical characteristics without processing meaning.
endogenous
Control of attention that is driven by factors internal to the individual.
Eriksen flanker task
A technique used to study attention in which an irrelevant distractor is included alongside experimental stimuli in order to see whether the distractor is processed
exogenous
Control of attention that is driven by factors external to the individual.
feature-integration theory
A theory of attentional function that holds that attention is necessary in order to bind together discrete features of an object unto a unified whole.
frontal eye fields (FEF)
A portion of the frontal lobes associated with allocation of attention via eye movements.
go/no-go task
An experimental procedure used to test cognitive control and the subject’s ability to control impulsive responses.
inattentional blindness
The failure to perceive an object or event that occurs in plain sight. The failure is not due to visual impairments.
inattentional deafness
A phenomenon in which auditory information is not perceived when a different high-load task is being performed
late-selection models
A model of attention that posits that unattended information is first processed in terms of its meaning
medial temporal lobes (MT)
A portion of the cortex that has been found to be involved in the perception of motion.
occulomotor apraxia
The inability to execute visually guided movements.
overt attention
Selective attention of a location that is accompanied by eye fixation of the same region.
primary visual cortex
The portion of the occipital lobe is the primary processing center for vision and organizes visual information for further processing throughout the occipital lobe.
retinotopic map
The location of pattern stimulation on the retina is preserved at the cortical level.
selective attention
A form of attentional control in which a single data stream (e.g.
simultanagnosia
The inability to identify or use more than one object or property in a scene at a time.
single-features search
A version of a visual-search task in which the target is distinguished from the distractors based on a single feature.
visual neglect
A deficit of attention in which the individual fails to notice or process a particular location in space
visual search
An experimental task in which participants must search for a target object among distractors.
