Chapter 4

Question 1

we actively select and process a limited amount of information from all of the information captured by our senses, our stored memories, and our other cognitive processes

Answer 1

Attention

Question 2

the feeling of awareness and the content of awareness, some of which may be under the focus of attention

Answer 2

Consciousness

Question 3

a framework to explain how people pick out the important stimuli embedded in a wealth of irrelevant, distracting stimuli.

Answer 3

Signal-detection theory

Question 4

Give some examples signal- detection theory

Answer 4

Detecting an emergency vehicle’s siren in the background noise of a busy city street, Parents monitor their children for signs of distress, and When a person listens to music at a party, they use SDT since they can distinguish the music from all the talking.

Question 5

SDT can be discussed in the context of

Answer 5

attention, perception, or memory

Question 6

refers to a person’s ability to attend to a field of stimula- tion over a prolonged period, during which the person seeks to detect the appearance of a particular target stimulus of interest.

Answer 6

Vigilance

Question 7

refers to a scan of the environment for particular features—actively looking for something when you are not sure where it will appear

Answer 7

Search

Question 8

Search is made more difficult by ________ , non-target stimuli that divert our attention away from the target stimulus.

Answer 8

Distracters

Question 9

we look for just one feature (e.g., color, shape, or size) that makes our search object different from all others

Answer 9

Feature search

Question 10

we have to combine two or more features to find the stimulus we’re looking for.

Answer 10

conjunction search

Question 11

we first analyze individual features of an object and subsequently integrate those features into the object.

Answer 11

Treisman’s Feature Integration Theory.

Question 12

This theory explains why it is relatively easy to conduct feature searches and relatively difficult to conduct conjunction searches

Answer 12

Feature integration theory

Question 13

the process that allows an individual to select and focus on a particular stimulus for further processing while simultaneously suppressing, ignoring, or minimizing other stimuli that are distracting or irrelevant

Answer 13

Selective attention

Question 14

refers to the challenge of focusing on a single auditory source, like a conversation, in an environment with multiple competing sounds, such as a busy party

Answer 14

Cocktail party problem

Question 15

a term used in psychology and acoustics, referring to the simultaneous delivery of different stimuli to each ear.

Answer 15

dichotic presentation

Question 16

So what helps us to attend only to the message of the target speaker to whom we wish to listen?

Answer 16

1.distinctive sensory characteristics of the target’s speech (e.g., high versus low pitch, pacing, and rhythmicity)
2. sound intensity (loudness)
3. location of the sound source

Question 18

This model posits that stimuli are filtered, or selected, very early in the processing stream, meaning that only a limited amount of sensory input is attended to at any given time. The filter is based on the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as pitch or loudness, and all other unattended information is lost or decays rapidly if not processed

Answer 18

Early filter model

Question 19

the active role of the audience in interpreting and integrating media content, rather than passively absorbing information.

Answer 19

Selective Filter Model

Question 20

This theory helps explain how people can still perceive and sometimes respond to unattended information, such as when your name is called in a noisy room, even if you’re not consciously listening for it

Answer 20

Attenuation Model

Question 21

This model accounts for the fact that people can sometimes perceive and respond to unattended stimuli if they are of particular importance. It suggests that the selection process for attention is based on the meaning of the information, rather than just its physical characteristics

Answer 21

Late-FilterModel

Question 22

What are the theories of selective attention?

Answer 22

Early filter model, selective filter model, attenuation model, and late- filter Model

Question 23

This refers to the ability to respond or attend to multiple stimuli or tasks simultaneously.

Answer 23

Divide attention

Question 24

_____ often involves switching attention rapidly between tasks rather than performing them simultaneously. It’s the attempt to perform two or more tasks at once

Answer 24

Multitasking

Question 25

Many other variables have an impact on our ability to concentrate and pay attention. Give the examples

Answer 25

Anxiety, arousal, task difficulty, and skills

Question 26

defined as being prepared to attend to some incoming event, and maintaining this attention.

Answer 26

Alerting

Question 27

defined as the selection of stimuli to attend to. This kind of attention is needed when we perform a visual search.

Answer 27

Orienting

Question 28

processes for monitoring and resolving conflicts that arise among internal processes.

Answer 28

Executive Attention

Question 29

they are performed without conscious awareness.

Answer 29

Automatic process

Question 30

______ are accessible to conscious control and even require it.

Answer 30

Controlled process

Question 31

This effect measures the delay in reaction time between automatic and controlled processing of information, highlighting the conflict between automatic and controlled cognitive processes

Answer 31

Stroop effect

Question 32

This phenomenon occurs without our conscious awareness and can influence our perceptions, behavior, and learning

Answer 32

Priming