Chapter 3- Human Information Processing Flashcards
**
black box model
-black box = brain
-visual input goes into brain -> information is processed -> output is some sort of motor response due to muscle contractions collaborating with the skeletal system
**
stages of information processing
1) Take in visual information + transform it into motor information (processing)
2) Human information processing based on computer metaphor
3) Take in information from outside sources, like a computer takes in information through input devices
4) Information is transformed, uses other information stored in memory, + subject to certain limitations based on amount processed + speed of available processing
5) Process of information output can result in movement like a computer displays information of its processing on a monitor or sends it as an output
**
serial processing
non-overlapping stages of final assembly + test drive
-we have to put the parts of the car together (body, tires, etc.) first before we can put the engine in
-we must do 1 thing before the other
**
parallel processing
overlapping in time with the assembly of the electronics, engine, + body stages
-we can put in the electronics at the same time as the engine + wheels
-timing has no effect on each other
can both serial + parallel be used
yes- human system uses both, but occurs at different times within a sequence
serial/parallel cooking analogy
-I can cut the onions at the same time my boyfriend washes the tomatoes, BUT I can’t put those things together to make salad before they have been done on their own
-2 things can be done together, but before it is done they can’t be combined
**
reaction time
the time between a stimulus + a response
**
3 steps of reaction time
-stimulus identification
-response-selection
-response-programming/execution
**
stimulus identification
steps of reaction time
-individual must detect that a stimulus occurred + identify it
-the stimulus does not get processed until you put your finger on what it actually is
-ex: a fire alarm goes off -> I need to recognize that the fire alarm has gone off + identify that it is actually a fire alarm
stimulus clarity
extent to which visual stimulus is defined + sharp
stimulus intensity
magnitude of stimulus (yelling vs whispering)
**
response-selection
steps of reaction time
-individual must decide which response to make of many optimal actions, including ignoring
-increased possible response alternatives causes an increase in the choice reaction time (based on Hick’s Law)
-ex: I hear the fire alarm, recognize it’s a fire alarm, + decide- I can either hide in my office to ignore it or recognize I need to grab my things + step outside for safety
**
response-programming/execution
steps of reaction time
-individual must prepare system for the appropriate action + initiate the actions (preparations of motor apparatus + initiation of action)
-individual must first identify a stimulus (step 1) + select a response (step 2) before they can organize + start an action
-in this step, individual retrieves program of action, prepares program for activation, readies relevant portions of motor system, + initiates movement
-ex: I’ve decided to save myself + leave the building -> I must tell my body/muscles/skeletal system to get out of chair, walk towards the door, + leave
**
Sternberg’s additive factors method
assumption: RT is equal to the sum of the durations of non-overlapping stages
-uses degraded + complicated stimulus
-no matter how many stages were affected, overall RT will increase
**
degraded stimulus
Sternberg’s additive factors method
stimulus quality is not vivid/clear -> results in longer RT
**
complicated stimulus
Sternberg’s additive factors method
task has more than 1 movement or relies on accuracy -> also results in more RT
**
Hick’s law
-Hick + Hyman studied relationship between choice reaction time + number of S-R alternatives
-found that choice RT increases by a constant amount every time the number of alternatives doubles
-more alternatives = more information processing needed = longer RT
Hick’s law equation
choice RT = a + b [Log 2 (n)]
-a + b: constants; a is y-int, b is slope
-RT: reaction time
-n: number of options
**
exceptions to Hick’s law
-familiarity with responding to a particular stimulus by means of specific (when there is familiarity involved with the choices, we don’t see the increase in RT that we see with more choices)
-effects of practice basis for automaticity in responding (with enough practice, there is an automatic response, so no increase in RT)
-overlearned S-R relations (sometimes the relations are learned too much, so no increase in RT; think of overstudying to the point that learning stops)
-rapid eye movements to targets (saccades; it is biologically normal to turn eyes towards stimulus/target)
-relation between stimulus + response influence response selection (if there is a relation between stimulus + response it will cause greater RT; you turn to the pair that seems “normal” to you)
anti-saccade task
subject must refrain from looking at the stimulus
-costs subject time because you must actively inhibit this tendency
**
stimulus-response (S-R) compatibility
association or degree of naturalness between stimulus + response vital on information processing
who first coined the term S-R compatibility
Arnold Small
