Chapter 5 - Attention and performance

Question 1

Focused attention

Answer 1

A situation in which individuals try to attend to only one source of information while ignoring other stimuli; also known as selective attention.

Question 2

Divided attention.

Answer 2

A situation in which two tasks are performed at the same time; also known as multi-tasking.

Question 3

Cocktail party problem

Answer 3

The difficulties involved in attending to one voice when two or more people are speaking at the same time.

Question 4

Dichotic listening task

Answer 4

A different auditory message is presented to each ear and attention has to be directed to one message.

Question 5

Shadowing

Answer 5

Repeating one auditory message word for word as it is presented while a second auditory message is also presented; it is used on the dichotic listening task.

Question 6

Split attention

Answer 6

Allocation of attention to two (or more) non-adjacent regions of visual space.

Question 7

Hemifield

Answer 7

One half of the visual field. Information from the left hemifield of each eye proceeds to the right hemisphere and information from the right hemifield proceeds to the left hemisphere.

Question 8

Inhibition of return

Answer 8

A reduced probability of visual attention returning to a recently attended location or object.

Question 9

Covert attention

Answer 9

Attention to an object in the absence of an eye movement towards it.

Question 10

Default mode network

Answer 10

A network of brain regions that is active “by default” when an individual is not involved in a current task; it is associated with internal processes including mind-wandering, remembering the past and imagining the future.

Question 11

Neglect

Answer 11

A disorder involving right-hemisphere damage (typically) in which the left side of objects and/or objects presented to the left visual field are undetected; the condition resembles extinction but is more severe.

Question 12

Pseudo-neglect

Answer 12

A slight tendency in healthy individuals to favour the left side of visual space.

Question 13

Extinction

Answer 13

A disorder of visual attention in which a stimulus presented to the side opposite the brain damage is not detected when another stimulus is presented at the same time to the side of the brain damage.

Question 14

Visual search

Answer 14

A task involving the rapid detection of a specified target stimulus within a visual display.

Question 15

Illusory conjunction

Answer 15

Mistakenly combining features from two different stimuli to perceive an object that is not present.

Question 16

Fovea

Answer 16

A small area within the retina in the centre in the field of vision where visual acuity is greatest.

Question 17

Visual crowding

Answer 17

The inability to recognise objects in peripheral vision due to the presence of neighbouring objects.

Question 18

Cross-modal attention

Answer 18

The coordination of attention across two or more modalities (e.g., vision and audition).

Question 19

Ventriloquism effect

Answer 19

The mistaken perception that sounds are coming from their apparent source (as in ventriloquism).

Question 20

Temporal ventriloquism effect

Answer 20

Misperception of the timing of a visual stimulus when an auditory stimulus is presented close to it in time.

Question 21

Endogenous spatial attention

Answer 21

Attention to a stimulus controlled by intentions or goal-directed mechanisms.

Question 22

Exogenous spatial attention

Answer 22

Attention is given spatial location determined by “automatic” processes.

Question 23

Multi-tasking

Answer 23

Performing two or more tasks at the same time by switching rapidly between them.

Question 24

Underadditivity

Answer 24

The finding that brain activation when tasks A and B are performed at the same time is less than the sum of the brain activation when tasks A and B are performed separately.

Question 25

Psychological refractory period (PRP) effect

Answer 25

The slowing of the response to the second of two stimuli when presented close together in time.

Question 26

Stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA)

Answer 26

Time interval between the start of two stimuli.

Question 27

Crosstalk

Answer 27

In dual-task conditions, the direct interference between the tasks that is sometimes found.

Question 28

Backward crosstalk effect

Answer 28

Aspect of Task 2 influence response selection and performance speed on Task 1 in studies on the Psychological Refractory Period (PRP) effect.