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Mé's Cognition Exams > Chapter 4 (Attention) > Flashcards

Chapter 4 (Attention) Flashcards

1. Understand different views on how attention functions as an information selector/filter 2. Understand research on multitasking, mind wandering and divided attention 3. Understand the difference between covert and overt attention

1
Q

William James” view on attention

A

“,,, the taking of possession by the mind, in clear and vivid form, one out of what seem several simultaneous possible objects or trains of thought”

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2
Q

What does William James view on attention imply

A

attention is primarily a filtering process

Does seem fundamentally true,

though it’s equally true that attention means different things to different people

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3
Q

A method of attentional filtering

A

Selective attention

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4
Q

What is selective attention

A

view of attention which holds that its job is to identify relevant information, so that irrelevant information is filtered out

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5
Q

One method to demonstrate selective attention (selective hearing)

A

The cocktail party phenomenon (Cherry, 1953)

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6
Q

This model does not work for selective attention (we filter out irrelevant conversations with ease)

A

This model doesn’t work and assumes that no meaning is used to engage in selective attention

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7
Q

What is the cocktail party method

A

5 ways people could potentially filter out one message from the rest with relative ease

Cherry (1953)

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8
Q

What are the 5 ways people can filter out messages with relative ease (of the cocktail party method)

A
  1. The direction of the voice in space
  2. Body language (gestures, lip-reading, etc.)
  3. Differences in speaking voices (pitch, speed, male vs female, etc.)
  4. Differences in accents
    ***5. Transition probabilities (predicting the words you will hear and may have missed based on implicitly known probabilities and context)
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9
Q

We need to lock out the extra auditory stuff to be able to pay attention to the main conversation, thus we would pay no attention to other auditory stimuli and its meaning

However,

A

the attentional filter is not fully blocking out the other stimuli

If two people talk simultaneously about different topics and switch topics half way through, you will follow the topic rather than the person, and will likely not notice

Similarly, if someone says you name across the room, you will likely hear it and recognize the meaning right away even if fully invested in another conversation

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10
Q

What is an example of overzealous filtering

A

Inattentional blindness:

The failure to attend to critical information we ought to be able to notice

Eg A pilot landing a plane under difficult conditions might focus exclusively on the gauges informing him on his performance

he might not notice a truck sitting on the runway

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11
Q

Daniel Simons was one of the first to show

A

change blindness out of the lab

The anatomy of the eye doesn’t help us understand this phenomenon at all

Again, something unexpected was completely filtered out

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12
Q

The SART task Robertson et al. (1997)

A

Quick measure of sustained attention

Uses no-go trails to measure attention

Response to all didgets except 3

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13
Q

Severe TBI patients have trouble

A

Adjusting their strategy

Prior to an error, people were likely to have been responding faster than they would have before a correctly withheld response.

This seems true for everyone
Some people correct their strategy mistake

Similar strategy between control + minor TBI
major TBI did not adjust their strategies, lose self-regulation, may not recognize they should change their behavior to do it better

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14
Q

Does sitting vs standing make a difference for the SART task

A

Yep

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15
Q

Capacity theory states that

A

the longer we use our brain, the less capacity will remain

This is only true for certain types of attention

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16
Q

The structural limit model view attention as

A

Made of relatively independent modules

Each structure has its own capacity limit
Your attentional performance won’t diminish as long as you are switching between structures on a regular basis

This could suggest multitasking would be a good thing

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17
Q

Multitasking Task by Watson & Strayer (2010)

A

Participants drove in a driving simulator, behind a braking pace car

While driving, they also performed an auditory version of the Operation Span (OSPAN) task.

On average, across the board multitasking was bad for task performance

The central bottleneck theory explains this – at some point we must alternate between tasks to do multiple things “at once

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18
Q

Supertaskers

A

Not everyone showed multitasking deficits

As a general rule, multitasking is a bad idea. But for about 2.5% of undergraduate students, it seems not to be a big deal

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19
Q

Does attention always filter critical information well

A

No

Inattentional blindness was the failure to attend to critical information we ought to be able to notice - overactive filtering

Some information is so salient that it breaks through the “filter, or in other words it can capture attention

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20
Q

What is Attentional Blink

A

how a stimulus can capture attention

Observed in the context of a Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) task paradigm

This involves brief presentation (80 ms) of simple information (e.g. letters and digits)

One type of information is the distractors, and the other is the target - like the SART, there are more distractors than targets

Your task is to remember and report back only the targets

sometimes one, sometimes two number (33% of the time there was one)

We can identify all the targets, except when attention is captured

The relative position of the second target is critical to whether it is “blinked” out or not

The blink does not occur immediately - attention takes a bit of time to fully activate

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21
Q

What did Cain et al. (2014) show

A

The video gamer advantage

They proposed the attentional blink should be less pronounced in frequent video gamers (VGP)
The blink (probably) does not occur to the same extent for everyone, but they were wrong about video gaming being good for it

There was no significant difference found

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22
Q

In the SART, the likelihood of an error depends on

A

when the last 3 was shown

The version you completed kept the 3 in a fixed position in an otherwise random sequence

The fixed position can explain why we didn’t see slowing down after a mistake (good news - no evidence of TBI) and the very steep speeding up after corrects

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23
Q

Intenttention as mind wandering

A

When people reported mind wandering in an fMRI they had similar brain activity as when resting

Default mode network: mind wandering. Our default may be mind wandering, so at rest we mnd wander

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24
Q

Multitasking is a generally bad idea, but

A

task-irrelevant stimulation could be okay

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25
Q

What did Olivers & Nieuwenhis (2005) demonstrate (mind wandering and multitasking)

A

that background music reduces the attentional blink

One explanation for this is that music decreases the likelihood of attentional capture
May reduce mind wandering
Not demonstrating bottleneck theory

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26
Q

What is Complete filtering

A

If subsequent targets ar fully filtered, it won’t matter if they are related or not

However, it seems like related targets were easier to find and reducing the attentional blink
Connectedness of information may impact overall performance

It can’t only be a fixed rate of a neuron firing because relatedness would increase firing

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27
Q

When people look at this image, they need to direct they fovea to the information that seems most relevant

A

Based on Yarbus (1967)

What you attend to the most when asked to describe ppl 1. Face

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28
Q

William James said about attention

A

Everyone knows what attention is:

“how we focus on things”

Like a filter (but that’s debatable)

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29
Q

Attention has different forms

A

Forms of filtering

Every time someone attempts to measure attention comes up with new kind of attention

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30
Q

In Broadbents model of attention as a filter

A

It’s filtered based on basic physical characteristic (sensory)

So not higher order understandings

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31
Q

Attention as a filter in the Broadbent’s filter model

A

It’s like a coffee filter (it lets some things through)

You’ll switch automatically (follow the thread with out noticing)

Something can break through the filter (ex priority like your name)

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32
Q

Filter makes sense & it’s

A

Coherent with what James said

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33
Q

Inattention blindness

A

Part of filtering (overzealous) keeping something out that would be important to you

eg pilot landing a plane

eg An invisible Gorilla (while you count the passes)

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34
Q

Error for SART task

A

Did respond to a 3

For of mistake but not called error = omission = Not responding to another

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35
Q

What is the average of response for the SART task?

A

350-400 ms

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36
Q

What did Roberts et al find on their SART task

A

Ppl with traumatic brain injury had more errors than control (press 3 on no-go)

Better than the Triplet traditional task

Strategy changing -

37
Q

SART strategy adjustment

A

When make error adjust behaviour (response strategy)

Unless TBI then don’t adjust their behaviour

38
Q

Is there a difference SART sit stand

A

Not conclusive in the end

39
Q

No multitasking is not truly possible just switch (Attentional bottleneck Brodbent’s idea fixed overall capacity)

A

So doing homework with music not truly better

40
Q

No multitasking deficit “supertaskers” in driving simulator

A

3% of undergrads fine

41
Q

Two ways of assessing mind wandering

A
  1. Interrupting the task to ask
  2. fMRI measure default mode network
42
Q

Things don’t get filtered out completely

A

Primming can augment future word recall on task (Shapiro, Driver, Ward, Sorensen 1997)

43
Q

Eye tracking image (Yarbus, 1967)

A

Describe the people on the picture - Look at their faces!

44
Q

early selection view of attention

A

Eg selective attention - cocktail party effect

that “attention can effectively prevent early perceptual processing of irrelevant distractors”

45
Q

late selection view of attention

A

Eg Stroop task

both relevant and ir­relevant stimuli are perceived and participants must actively ignore the irrelevant stimuli in order to focus on the relevant ones. Late selection is often illustrated by the Stroop task

46
Q

Stroop task

A

Invented by Dr Stroop

Vs Late selection view of attention

Overlearnt process vs inhibit the reading of the word to read the colours

Control vs automatic processes

47
Q

controlled processes of attention

A

Requires attention / energy

Top - Down

Goal directed / voluntary

48
Q

automatic processes of attention

A

Do not require attention

Bottom - Up

Stimulus driven / involuntary

49
Q

What is the spotlight metaphor

A

Selective attention is often referred to as the spatial attention

The idea that spatial attention is like a spotlight that we shine on an object that we select for more complex and conscious processing

50
Q

What are exogenous shifts (vs spatial attention)

A

involuntary movements of attention triggered by external stimuli

Also called attention capture

51
Q

What are endogenous shifts (vs spatial attention)

A

Voluntary movement of attention

52
Q

Selective attention is often referred to as

A

Spatial attention

53
Q

What is a peripheral cueing paradigm?

A

Exogenous shifts of attention typically demonstrated using this

(attention capturing)

They include catch trials (participants respond when its a no-go)

54
Q

In the peripheral cueing paradigm, people are ___ at detecting the target when it appears in the cued location than in the uncued location: this is called the ___ effect

A

Faster / the cueing effect

55
Q

What is the stimulus onset asynchrony in the cueing paradigm

A

The time difference between the onset of one stimulus and the onset of a subsequent stimulus

56
Q

What is inhibition of return

A

Slower responses to cued than to uncued trials in the cueing paradigm.

target detection faster at the uncued location than at the cued location, because the delay in the appearance of the target has led attention to shift to the uncued location, and now it has to disengage from that location and shift back to the cued location if that is where the target happens to appear. The reversed cueing effect at long intervals between
the cue and target is called inhibition of return

57
Q

What is the central cueing paradigm

A

An experimental method in which a central cue (e.g., arrow) points to a location in which a target might subsequently appear.

58
Q

What is inattention blindness

A

Failure to notice events that we would be expected to notice

Eg pilot landing a plane don’t see truck on the landing strip
Eg Gorilla in the ball game
Eg Crosses which one is larger … add square (faces more often detected)

59
Q

What is attention capture

A

Exogenous shifts of attention, external stimuli salient enough captures our attention when we are focused somewhere else

60
Q

What is the flanker task

A

An experiment in which participants may be influenced by an irrelevant stimulus beside the target

Congruent and Incongruent conditions

61
Q

Is face processing mandatory

A

Yes, even when we try to ignore it

62
Q

Is deja vu a thing?

A

Yes

Most likely to happen to people who have travelled, higher socio-economic better educated

63
Q

What are domain-specific modules

A

The hypothesis that parts of the brain may be specialized for particular tasks such as recognizing faces

64
Q

What is the primary determinant of selective attention

A

Meaning

We see what interests us and what we are looking for and expecting

65
Q

What are notions around the capacity of attention

A

As tasks become more complex they start to interfere with each other

  1. Capacity model = attention as fuel tank
  2. Structural limits = tasks with similar activities will compete and interfere
  3. Central bottlenec = only 1 path at a time for info to travel
66
Q

What is a central bottleneck hypothesis of attention

A

The hypothesis that there is only one path along which information can travel, and it is so narrow that the most it can handle at any one time is the information relevant to one task.

Doing two things at once= task switch

Can be overcome with practice!

67
Q

What is the Capacity model of attention

A

= attention as fuel tank with limited capacity

68
Q

What is the Structural limits model of attention

A

= tasks with similar activities will compete and interfere with each other

69
Q

Divided attention

A

The capacity to attend attention to more than one thing at once

We can’t prove if it’s truly divided or if it’s just good switching

70
Q

What is stimulus response mapping?

A

figuring out what response goes with what stimulus

71
Q

The attentional blink task illustrates the

A

Limits of human attention

When two stimuli presented within 550 ms of each other (we don’t see the second)

72
Q

Could allocating attention to a secondary task improve performance on a primary task?

A

Yes if the other task regards task-irrelevant activity (ex visual & music)

73
Q

What is a set (task switching)

A

A temporary, top-down organization in the brain that facilitates some responses while inhibiting others in order to achieve a certain goal; also referred to as a “mental set.”

74
Q

What is task switching

A

changing from working on one task to working an another; usually studied in situations in which the switching is involuntary

75
Q

What is switch cost

A

The finding that performance declines immediately on switching tasks

76
Q

What is vigilance

A

Sustained attention that is imposed eg your job

77
Q

What is sustained attention

A

the act of maintain attention focused on a single task for a prolonged period of time

78
Q

Mackwork clock task

A

Having participants monitor a line

Watch for clock hand skipping

Performance drops (vigilance decrement)

79
Q

What is the vigilance decrement

A

Imposed sustained attention (vigilance) going down on sustained attention tasks

Eg Driving & lectures

80
Q

What are three views on the cognitive mechanics under vigilance decrement

A
  1. Overload view (tasks overwhelm)
  2. Ressource depletion account (limited attentional ressources)
  3. Underload view (task boring we switch)
81
Q

embodied attention 2 for ms

A
  1. Covert attention (attending to something with out moving eyes)
  2. Overt attention (attending to something by moving eyes)
82
Q

What is the sequential attention hypothesis?

A

relationship between overt and covert attention = tight relationship

Covert attention shifts first and overt eye movement follows

83
Q

eye tracking vocab

A

Saccades = Rapid chaotic
Fixation = Stillness
Nystagmus = small mvmd during Fixation not exactly still
Regression = left to right motion when reading

84
Q

We look for entry point (when reading a newspaper)

A

Where we focus our eyes before we start reading

Either a heading or a picture

85
Q

What is smooth pursuit movements

A

Movements of the eye that, because they are not jerky, enable the viewer to maintain fixation on a moving object.

Eg follow a finger

86
Q

What is task-related knowledge

A

An observers knowledge of the goals and the task at hand as it guides the eyes during a visual task

87
Q

What is the quiet eye?

A

Sustained and steady eye gaze prior to action or behaviour

88
Q

what is the location-suppression hypothesis

A

A two-stage explanation for the quiet eye phenomenon: in the preparation stage, the quiet eye maximizes information about the target object; then, during the location stage, vision is suppressed to optimize the execution of an action or behaviour

Mé's Cognition Exams (8 decks)

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