Exam 2 Flashcards
Models of Attention:
What is attention?
o Limiting; paying attention to one thing and not others
o Critical for conscious awareness
o Goal is to focus on what’s most important (enhance some things and inhibit others)
Models of Attention:
Describe the Early Selection Model. Who proposed this model?
- Broadbent
- attention selects before identification
- encoding (followed by gate) then identification, response selection, response execution
Models of Attention:
Describe Broadbent’s dichotic listening experiment that provided evidence for the Early Selection Model
- dichotic listening - 2 diff inputs, one through each ear
- story in one ear, words in other - subjects had to repeat words
- had difficulty answering question about the ear they were ignoring but could answer very basic questions (like was its a tone/noise, pitch of voice)
Models of Attention:
Describe the Late Selection Model. What researchers proposed it?
- Deutsch and Deutsch
- attention selects after identification
- encoding, identification, (gate), response selection, response execution
Models of Attention:
Describe the “Flanker Task” used by Deutsch and Deutsch to prove the Late Selection model
- one target letter, and distracter on either side
- identify target letter and hit corresponding button
- incongruent - flankers match other response, not target
- congruent - flankers match target
- neutral - flankers diff from target
Models of Attention:
Describe the Attenuation Theory. Who proposed it?
- proposed by Treisman
- Attention does select early but the filter isn’t strong
- what you inhibit can come through in a weakened state
- ex. in conversation with someone but hear name called far away
Models of Attention:
Describe the Load Theory. Who proposed it?
- Lavie
- cognitive load: how much stuff you’re dealing with
- default is to process everything
- low load: process everything; late selection
- high load: selective (early selection)
Endogenous & Exogenous Attention:
How does attention shift in regards to exogenous attention?
- exogenous attention: reflexive attention shift; something in environment
- overt: eyes’ gaze shift
- covert: eyes/head stay fixed
Endogenous & Exogenous Attention:
How does attention shift in regards to endogenous attention?
- voluntary attention shift
- choose to focus attention
- overt: eyes and head shift
- covert: eyes fixed
Endogenous & Exogenous Attention:
What is the Posner cuing paradigm? Explain its method
- measures shift in attention
- stay focused on center point
- boxes/placeholders where target may appear
- cue appears in either box; indicate where target might occur
- directional cue thought to elicit endogenous shift
- flash cue to elicit exogenous attention shift
- “valid” trial - target appears where cue was
- “invalid” - other location
- response time varies on whether valid or invalid trial
- valid RT fastest
- if attention already shifted where target shows up you can start identifying more quickly (takes longer to shift attention and identify in invalid trial)
Endogenous & Exogenous Attention:
How do Kingstone et al. challenge the distinction between reflexive vs voluntary attention shifts?
- used method involving looking at picture of eye gaze
- eye gaze as central cue and can cause shift depending on direction eyes are gazing
- found that central eyes trigger exogenous shifts (even though they shouldn’t according to previous studies)
- eyes elicit exogenous attention shifts bc they have social significance
Controlled and Automatic Processing:
What is the difference between controlled and automatic processing?
- Automatic processing: no attention required
- Controlled processing: requires executive functions and control
Controlled and Automatic Processing:
What cognitive abilities are considered “executive control?” What part of the brain is associated with executive control?
- manipulating info, complex processes like planning, control
- prefrontal cortex, specifically dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
Controlled and Automatic Processing:
How is the Stroop Task an example of the difference between controlled and automatic processing?
- colored words task
- SAY color of font, NOT the word which is name of a color
- difficult task bc reading is automatic for simple words
- have to control impulse to read the word and instead read ink color
Controlled and Automatic Processing:
How did the Payne study contrast controlled and automatic processing?
- looked at how implicit racial biases contribute to automatic/controlled processes
- subjects had to identify object as gun or tool; target object preceded by face of white or black male flashed
- exp. 1 no time limit - RT faster when pairing face of black male with gun, result low error rate, time to override automatic processing with controlled processing
- exp 2: time limit, higher error rate, automatic processing (no time to override), more willing to respond w/ automatic processing bc of time limit
Selective and Divided Attention:
What is the difference between selective and divided attention?
- Selective attention: focuses on some things; location or object
- Divided attention: ability to split attention across different stimuli or locations ; attention shifts between multiple tasks; limited in how it can be divided
Selective and Divided Attention:
Is attention capable of being divided (true multi-tasking)?
- Attention shifts between multiple tasks
- however can perform two tasks at the same type if they use separate functions and have no interference
Selective and Divided Attention:
What sort of shift costs result from alternating tasks?
- shift-cost- takes longer to do tasks simultaneously than if did them on their own; shifting attention between tasks adds up
- mixing cost: having 2 different task sets loaded; also makes you perform task more slowly
- shift cost can be reduced with warning person so they can prepare and plan
Attention Failures and Deficits:
What is inattentional blindness? Describe the experiment that tested it
- people paying attention to certain stimuli ignore/don’t see other stimuli
- Simon and Chabris study
- basic shapes - count how many times shapes bounce off side of screen, occasionally a shape passes through the middle and people don’t see this
- focus on some stimuli and inhibit other stimuli - other stimuli doesn’t reach level of identification
Attention Failures and Deficits:
What is change blindness?
- don’t see a change, especially if quick
Attention Failures and Deficits:
Describe the Flicker Paradigm change blindness example
- something changers between two images (blank screen in between, “flicker”)
- attention lookds at each item and asks “is this what’s changing?”
Attention Failures and Deficits:
Describe the Mudsplats change blindness example
- put up “visual noise” or “mask”
- disruptive enough to make it more difficult to see the change
Attention Failures and Deficits:
Describe the Gradual Changes change blindness example
- program gradually changes from one image to other image (ex. an object fades from image)
- usually more difficult to find difference
Attention Failures and Deficits:
Describe the Color-Changing Card Trick and “Door” Study change blindness examples
- Cards: several aspects of environment changed but focused on cards and don’t notice changes
- door: someone giving directions; door comes by and person needing directions switches; 50% of participants didn’t notice the change; focused on giving directions
Attention Failures and Deficits:
What is the attentional blink? Describe the RSVP method used to study it
- attentional blink: presented with lots of info very quickly; attention limited in capacity
- RSVP: Rapid Serial Visual Presentation
- presents stimuli quicjkly one at a time(ex. numbers and target were letters mixed in)
- accuracy at identifying 2nd target good if follows first target
- worse if short distance from target
- gets better with more distance between targets
- why: try to identify first letter but when presented with number tries to hang onto first target; decays before have chance to identify second target