CHAPTER 4 - Attention Flashcards
What are the two types of information processing models?
- Early selection model
- Late selection model
what is selective attention?
The ability to focus on specific stimuli or locations.
ex: focusing on math homework while ignoring the people talking.
Donal Broadbent created which model of attention?
An early selective model because the filter eliminates the unattended information right at the beginning of the flow diagram
How is Broadbent’s model of attention separated? (3)
- Sensory memory
- Filter
- detector
what is sensory memory in Broadbent’s model of attention?
sensory memory = holds information for a fraction of a second and transfers to filter
what is the filter in Broadbent’s model of attention?
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.
what is the detector in Broadbent’s model of attention?
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.
The dear aunt jane experiment that takes meaning into account is an example of which type of processing? (bottom-up or top-down? )
top-down processing
what is the difference between Broadbent’s filter model of attention and Treisman’s attenuation model of attention?
Treisman attenuation model of attention is separated into 2 stages AND she replaces Broadbent’s filter with an attenuator.
What is the attenuator in Treisman’s attenuation model of attention responsible for? (3)
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.
why has Treisman’s model been called the “leaky filter” model?
because at least some of the unattended messages gets through the attenuator
what is the second stage in Treisman’s model?
the dictionary unit
what is the dictionary unit responsible for?
contains words, stored in memory, each of which has a threshold for being activated (name = low threshold, rutabaga = high threshold)
what is the difference between early and late models of attention?
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
What is the definition of perceptual load?
the difficulty of the task.
why is perceptual load important in terms of attention?
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.
what is processing capacity?
amount of information people can handle and sets a limit on the ability too process incoming information
low-load tasks use a… amount of processing capacity?
small
high-load tasks use a… amounts of a person’s processing capacity?
more
what is the Stroop effect?
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.
fixation
pause and directly look at something
saccadic eye movement
a rapid, jerky eye movement from one fixation to the next . ex: move your eyes from one face to another
overt attention
shifting attention from one place to another by moving the eyes, because we can see attentional shifts by observing where the eyes are looking
what is stimulus salience?
the physical properties of the stimulus, such as color, contrast, or movement
which type of processing is stimulus salience?
bottom-up processing
scanning a scene based on the person’s preferences is which type of processing?
top-down
what are examples of behaviors related to visual attention? (3)
- 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.
- Scanning based on demands - a person’s eye movement is primarily determined by the task at hand
- spotlight effect- information outside the spotlight is presumed not to receive processing that requires attention.
2 concepts of visual attention applied to everyday life?
- studying at my desk - scanning based on demands
- hairdryer in kitchen - scanning based on cognitive factors
What is change blindness?
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
what is an example of change blindness?
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.
what is automaticity? (2)
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
what are the 4 types of directing attention by scanning a scene?
- scanning a scene with eye movement
- scanning a scene based on stimulus salience
- scanning a scene based on cognitive factors
- scanning a scene based on task demand
