Cognition Chapter 3 (Attention & Consciousness) Flashcards
Definition of internal and external attention
Internal attention: aimed at inner thought, motivations, etc (memory or empty refrigerator)
External attention: aimed at incoming sensory information (store with oranges)
What 3 brain systems that are involved in attention
The attentional system can be anatomically differentiated from other cognitive functions
The attentional system uses a network of different brain areas
1. Alerting system (achieving a state of arousal) (Brainstem + frontal cortex)
2. Orienting system (directs processingf resources to incoming information) (frontal + pariental cortex) –> external
3. Executive system (supervising system that decides where attention should go) (pariental, medial, frontal cortex) –> internal
Explain the filter theory with early selection
It involves early selection
- The sensory memory stores information from all perceptual system (unlimited capacity)
- Selective filter: only one signal is let through the filter
- Short term memory then maintains information we can use
The cocktail effect revisited interferes with this theory, which resulted in a late selection theory
Here all sensory information is identified
Explain the cocktail party effect and the cocktail party effect revisited
When a person can focus their attention to one stimulus and ignore another like a voice when two are presented
Even changes in language and voice are unnoticed
The revisited effect is when a person can still hear his own name which is being processed in the ignored ear
Explain the filter theory with late selection
All stimuli is identified, but only the attended ones where given access to further processing
Explain the filter theory with it’s attentual theory
Rather then filtering out irrelevant information, the intensity of irrelevant information is diminished but not eliminated
Explain the load theory of attention in the filter theory
When there is low workload in the stimulus field, attention can be easier focused than when there is high workload
But in low workload field there is a larger effect on an distractor, as everything is processed there (late selection)
In high workload there appears early selection
Explain the resource theory
Attention is like a spotlights which illuminated locations of interest
The size of it can change but attention will decrease if it covers a large area
This can also be applied to objects (two rectangles with cues)
Explain attention in perception
Normalization model of attention:
The region in the visual cortex which activates specific brain areas is called receptive field
If you attend your attention to this field, the neural response is higher than when not
Stimuli that are attented to are amplified, while stimuli that are unattended are surpressed
Explain experimental paradigm of feature integration
There are two processes
- Preattentive process (Simultanious analysis of the entire scene and detecting unique features)
- Focused attention (combining multiple features for a whole experience) (the binding problem)
Explain attentional failure or change blindness
Difference between two nearly identical scenes are not notices when presented after each other
Explain the attentional failure of inattential blindness
When a subject focusses on one aspect and because of that doesn’t see other aspects
Gorilla in basketball field
Explain the three function theorys of consciousness
- Inessentialism: consciousness is not necessary. All things could also be done by unconscious beings
- Epiphenomenalism: consciousness is a byproduct of brain processes without use
- Consciousness is useful and gives us free will
(There are also theories that consciousness is there to provide a executive summary of the situation or that that its main use is to understand the mental states of those around us)
What is blindsight
When a person who is blind because of damage to the visual cortex unconsciously sees and avoids objects without any notice of them, because some information goes directly to the thamalus instead of the visual cortex before
What is a split brain patient
When there is no communication between the two brain hemispheres.
Patients like this cannot tell what they are seeing in their left visual field, as the left hemisphere (language) does not percieve the information.
When there is information in the left visual field the person can not name it, but draw it, but still not knowing why he drew that
Explain libets experient and how it sees free will
Subjects saw a clock and had to press a button at a random point, while reporting when they feel the intention to press the button (happens 200 Ms before)
The eeg measurement shows there was Activity to press the button exists 550 Ms before
Explain the neural brain areas that associate with consciousness (global neural workspace theory)
It says that information processing is conscious when the information becomes globally available in the brain.
Unconscious processes don’t have the range and don’t reach all areas of the brain.
Here the consciousness would be everywhere but especially in the frontal cortex.
The functions of consciousness therefore may be to manipulate and maintain information and also to integrate information
Explain the dual task paradigm and what influences multitasking
A dual task paradigm rises when a person focuses attention to two tasks simultaniously.
If the the performance is as good as if the tasks were done seperatly, there is no compete for resources.
The most competition for attention happens when somebody focuses on two similar tasks at the same time, like seeing or hearing. If the tasks are seperate, there is less competition and better performance (hearing while driving a car)
Explain the Marys Room Dilemma
A person cannot explain subjective experience like a colour or consciousness, which is why it may be impossible to research it
What is Subliminal Perception
When a stimulus is too dim to be noticed by the person consciously, but still has an unconscious effect on the person.
