Chapter 4 Flashcards
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
Attention
the feeling of awareness and the content of awareness, some of which may be under the focus of attention
Consciousness
a framework to explain how people pick out the important stimuli embedded in a wealth of irrelevant, distracting stimuli.
Signal-detection theory
Give some examples signal- detection theory
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.
SDT can be discussed in the context of
attention, perception, or memory
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.
Vigilance
refers to a scan of the environment for particular features—actively looking for something when you are not sure where it will appear
Search
Search is made more difficult by ________ , non-target stimuli that divert our attention away from the target stimulus.
Distracters
we look for just one feature (e.g., color, shape, or size) that makes our search object different from all others
Feature search
we have to combine two or more features to find the stimulus we’re looking for.
conjunction search
we first analyze individual features of an object and subsequently integrate those features into the object.
Treisman’s Feature Integration Theory.
This theory explains why it is relatively easy to conduct feature searches and relatively difficult to conduct conjunction searches
Feature integration theory
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
Selective attention
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
Cocktail party problem
a term used in psychology and acoustics, referring to the simultaneous delivery of different stimuli to each ear.
dichotic presentation
So what helps us to attend only to the message of the target speaker to whom we wish to listen?
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
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
Early filter model
the active role of the audience in interpreting and integrating media content, rather than passively absorbing information.
Selective Filter Model
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
Attenuation Model
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
Late-FilterModel
What are the theories of selective attention?
Early filter model, selective filter model, attenuation model, and late- filter Model
This refers to the ability to respond or attend to multiple stimuli or tasks simultaneously.
Divide attention
_____ often involves switching attention rapidly between tasks rather than performing them simultaneously. It’s the attempt to perform two or more tasks at once
Multitasking
Many other variables have an impact on our ability to concentrate and pay attention. Give the examples
Anxiety, arousal, task difficulty, and skills
defined as being prepared to attend to some incoming event, and maintaining this attention.
Alerting
defined as the selection of stimuli to attend to. This kind of attention is needed when we perform a visual search.
Orienting
processes for monitoring and resolving conflicts that arise among internal processes.
Executive Attention
they are performed without conscious awareness.
Automatic process
______ are accessible to conscious control and even require it.
Controlled process
This effect measures the delay in reaction time between automatic and controlled processing of information, highlighting the conflict between automatic and controlled cognitive processes
Stroop effect
This phenomenon occurs without our conscious awareness and can influence our perceptions, behavior, and learning
Priming
