Chapter 3: Attention

Question 1

Attention

Answer 1

A system involved in the selection and prioritisation of information processing.
1. Directed intentionally
2. Cuptured unintentionally.
There is not a specific definition. Multiple brain areas are involved.

Question 2

Capture

Answer 2

The ability of one source of information to take processing priority from another.

Question 3

Function of Attention

Answer 3

Shneider (selectivity in visual perception):

1. Selection for perception–> encoding and interpreting sensory data.
2. Selection for action–> necessary for planning, controling and executing responses or actions..

Question 4

Binding

Answer 4

An important function of attention is to bind together what an object is, together with where it is and how to act on it.

Question 5

Binding problem

Answer 5

The problem of how different properties of an item are correctly put together, or bound, into the correct combination.

Question 6

Controlled attention (endogenous)

Answer 6

It is a top down process because it is influenced by a goal we have set ourselves. It is under conscious intentional control.

Question 7

Exogenous Attention

Answer 7

Is stimulus-driven, where incoming bottom-up stimuli trigger automatic processing which cannot controlled intentionally.

Question 8

Psychological Refractory Period (PRP)

Welford

Answer 8

At short inter-stimulus intervals, RT to the 2nd stimulus is slower. Bottleneck: the processing of the second stimulus must be wait until the processing of the 1st stimulus is completed. This is a limitation of our system to process more than one set of information concurrently.

Question 9

Bottleneck

Answer 9

Perceptual properties of a message are processed without attention, but the meaning without attention is not processed. Bottleneck is located at a point after perceptual processing has taken place, but before the meaning.

Question 10

Filter model

Answer 10

It assumes a filter between the perceptual input system (sensory-pararell) and a limited capacity channel (identification level, serially).

Question 11

Early Selection Theory

Answer 11

If a stimuli do not get passed on to the identification stage, they remain unattented. Selective attention that operates on the physical info availabe from early perceptual analysis.

Question 12

Breackthrough of the unattended message

Answer 12

The ability of info to capture conscious awareness despite being unatended. The filter was not preventing the activation of sematics.

Question 13

Late Selection

Deutsch & Deutsch

Answer 13

An acount of selective processing where attention operates after all stimuli have been analysed for their sematic properties.

Question 14

Masking

Answer 14

The disruptive effect of an auditory or visual pattern that is presented immediately after an auditory or visual stimulus.

Question 15

Negative Priming

Answer 15

It refers to the finding that the RT to categorise a target item will be slowed if that same item has been presented on the privious trial as a distractor item which was to be ignored.

Question 16

Saccade

Answer 16

The movement of the eyes during which information uptake is suppressed. Between saccades the eye makes fixations during which there is information uptake the fixated area.

Question 17

Overt attentioanal Orienting

Answer 17

Making an eye movement to attend to a location.

Question 18

Fixation

Answer 18

When the fovea of the eye dwells on a location in visual space, during which time information is collected.

Question 19

Orienting

Answer 19

In the spolight model of visual attention this is attention to regions of space that does not depend upon eye movements.

Question 20

Covert attentional orienting

Answer 20

Orienting attention without making any movement of the eyes.

Question 21

Posner and other related experiments:

Answer 21

Two systems of visual attention: endogenous & exogenous.
Exogenous: One a bottom-up stimulus, driven pathway involved in exogenous attention which is specialised for detectiong unexpected behaviourally relevant stimuli. This pathway can interrupt the endogenous one.
Endogenous: a top-down process which is involved in the top-down, goal-directed preperation and control of attention.

Question 22

Gaze-mediated orienting

Answer 22

An exogenous shift of attention following the direction of a face presented at fixation.