Divided Attention Flashcards
What is divided attention
The ability to successfully execute more than one action at the same time whilst paying attention to two or more channels of infomation
Factors influencing divided attention
Task Difficulty
Task Similarity
Practice
Example of divided attention
Allport (1972) described a pianist being able to read music and play successfully, as well, as a type writer being able to read and type at the same time
What is the dual task technique?
Two tasks are performed at the same time
Performance levels of the secondary task are used as an indirect measure of the capacity required to perform the primary task (Pashler, 1994)
Practical implications of divided attention
Driving and talking (Bebe &Kass, 2006) means performance is allot worse due to the significant interference; increased failure to detect traffic signals, slower reactions and attention all lapses
What did Hampton and Morris (1996) findings suggest?
They used fMRI to discover when tasks involving the same region of the brain = significant dual-task interference (listening to music and auditory sentence comprehension)
What year did Kahneman publish the Capacity theory
1973
Describe the capacity theory
Whether or not a task can be performed depends on its demands in terms of the amount of capacity it requires. Some tasks are relatively automatic and require less processing and mental effort and therefore the available capacity increased. We are able to perform two tasks more efficiently if demand does not exceed the total capacity available.
Is there an end-point to capacity
Capacity can not continue forever, available capacity may be increased by higher arousal levels and practice/rehearsal
Factors of allocation
Allocation policy factors include evaluation of demands, enduring dispositions (name), momentary intentions
Allport (1980) suggested…
Interference occurs when similar tasks compete for same processing and dissimilar task means better time sharing
What are some evaluation points of the capacity theory? (Kahneman, 1973)
Explains the shadowing task as the shadowed task in the attended ear requires most of the available capacity
It is more flexible and dynamic
It does not replace other models but supplements them
However…
It fails to explain how exactly allocation decisions are made
It is impossible to accurately judge the limits of capacity due to our ability to develop skills
Alternative theories of divided attention
Mullainathan (2014) ‘Cognitive bandwidth’
Psychological refractory period
A period of time during which the response to a second stimulus will be significantly slowed because of processing occurring on the earlier stimulus
How does the schema theory (Neisser, 1976) pose as an alternative view to divided attention?
Neisser (1976) Schema theory- all knowledge is organised into units and Schema stores information- dual-tasks have poor performances as it does not fit our schemata
