CHAPTER 4 - Attention

Question 1

What are the two types of information processing models?

Answer 1

1. Early selection model
2. Late selection model

Question 2

what is selective attention?

Answer 2

The ability to focus on specific stimuli or locations.
ex: focusing on math homework while ignoring the people talking.

Question 3

Donal Broadbent created which model of attention?

Answer 3

An early selective model because the filter eliminates the unattended information right at the beginning of the flow diagram

Question 4

How is Broadbent’s model of attention separated? (3)

Answer 4

1. Sensory memory
2. Filter
3. detector

Question 5

what is sensory memory in Broadbent’s model of attention?

Answer 5

sensory memory = holds information for a fraction of a second and transfers to filter

Question 6

what is the filter in Broadbent’s model of attention?

Answer 6

Filter = identifies the message that is being attended to based on its physical characteristics (tone of voice, pitch, speed of talking, and accent)

ONLY lets attended messages pass through to the detector in the next stage.
All other messages are filtered out.

Question 7

what is the detector in Broadbent’s model of attention?

Answer 7

Detector = processes information from the attended message to determine higher-level characteristics of the message, such as meaning. The detector processes all of the information that enters because the filter lets only the important information pass through.

Question 8

The dear aunt jane experiment that takes meaning into account is an example of which type of processing? (bottom-up or top-down? )

Answer 8

top-down processing

Question 9

what is the difference between Broadbent’s filter model of attention and Treisman’s attenuation model of attention?

Answer 9

Treisman attenuation model of attention is separated into 2 stages AND she replaces Broadbent’s filter with an attenuator.

Question 10

What is the attenuator in Treisman’s attenuation model of attention responsible for? (3)

Answer 10

The attenuator analyzes information in terms of
1. physical characteristics - high-pitched, low-pitched, fast or slow
2. language - how the message groups in syllables or words
3. meaning - how sequences of words create meaningful phrases.

Question 11

why has Treisman’s model been called the “leaky filter” model?

Answer 11

because at least some of the unattended messages gets through the attenuator

Question 12

what is the second stage in Treisman’s model?

Answer 12

the dictionary unit

Question 13

what is the dictionary unit responsible for?

Answer 13

contains words, stored in memory, each of which has a threshold for being activated (name = low threshold, rutabaga = high threshold)

Question 14

what is the difference between early and late models of attention?

Answer 14

late selection models of attention propose that most of the incoming information is processed to the level of meaning before the message to be further processed is selected

Question 15

What is the definition of perceptual load?

Answer 15

the difficulty of the task.

Question 16

why is perceptual load important in terms of attention?

Answer 16

As explained by the load theory of attention: low-load tasks that use fewer cognitive resources may leave resources available for processing unattended task-irrelevant stimuli, whereas high-load tasks that use all of a person’s cognitive resources don’t leave any resources to process unattended tas-irrelevant stimuli.

Question 17

what is processing capacity?

Answer 17

amount of information people can handle and sets a limit on the ability too process incoming information

Question 18

low-load tasks use a… amount of processing capacity?

Answer 18

small

Question 19

high-load tasks use a… amounts of a person’s processing capacity?

Answer 19

more

Question 20

what is the Stroop effect?

Answer 20

demonstrates how task-irrelevant stimuli are difficult to ignore. Name as quickly as possible the color of the ink used to print each of the shapes. Time yourself. Then name the color of ink used to print the words.

Results = It is harder to name the colors of the words than the color of the shape because the name of the words causes a competing response and thus slows down the response to the target. Task irrelevant stimuli are highly important because reading words is highly practiced and has become automatic, so it is difficult not to read them.

Question 21

fixation

Answer 21

pause and directly look at something

Question 22

saccadic eye movement

Answer 22

a rapid, jerky eye movement from one fixation to the next . ex: move your eyes from one face to another

Question 23

overt attention

Answer 23

shifting attention from one place to another by moving the eyes, because we can see attentional shifts by observing where the eyes are looking

Question 24

what is stimulus salience?

Answer 24

the physical properties of the stimulus, such as color, contrast, or movement

Question 25

which type of processing is stimulus salience?

Answer 25

bottom-up processing

Question 26

scanning a scene based on the person's preferences is which type of processing?

Answer 26

top-down

Question 27

what are examples of behaviors related to visual attention? (3)

Answer 27

1. scanning based on cognitive factors - ppl look longer at things that do not belong in the environment because their attention is affected by their knowledge of what is usually found in the scene. 2. Scanning based on demands - a person's eye movement is primarily determined by the task at hand 3. spotlight effect- information outside the spotlight is presumed not to receive processing that requires attention.

Question 28

2 concepts of visual attention applied to everyday life?

Answer 28

1. studying at my desk - scanning based on demands 2. hairdryer in kitchen - scanning based on cognitive factors

Question 29

What is change blindness?

Answer 29

Difficulty in detecting changes in scenes because our attention is not directed at the place where the change occurs. Attending plays an important role in perceiving

Question 30

what is an example of change blindness?

Answer 30

our perceptual system is making optimal use of our limited processing resources. For ex: when walking down a crowded sidewalk, you need to know where other ppl are so u avoid colliding with them but you do not need to know if one person's wearing glasses or if another is wearing a gray shirt.

Question 31

what is automaticity? (2)

Answer 31

a type of processing that occurs 1. without intention 2. at the cost of only some of a person's cognitive resources. CAN COME WITH PRACTICE

Question 32

what are the 4 types of directing attention by scanning a scene?

Answer 32

1. scanning a scene with eye movement 2. scanning a scene based on stimulus salience 3. scanning a scene based on cognitive factors 4. scanning a scene based on task demand