Lec 4 - Attention And Performance Pt.1 Flashcards
What is William James’ definition of attention?
Attention is “the taking possession by the mind, in clear and vivid form, of one out of what seem several simultaneously possible objects or trains of thought.”
What are the three key characteristics of attention?
Ability: Focus on one stimulus among many.
Intentionality: Conscious control over focus.
Limited Capacity: Attending to one thing reduces attention to others
Why is attention important for processing information?
Attention filters relevant information from the environment, helping manage the limited capacity of the brain to process the vast amounts of sensory input.
What is parallel processing in stimulus identification?
It refers to the ability to process multiple streams of information at the same time, such as recognizing the color and meaning of a word in the Stroop task.
What does the Stroop effect demonstrate about attention?
It shows that conflicting information (e.g., word meaning vs. ink color) competes for attentional resources, slowing down response times.
What is inattentional blindness? Provide an example.
It is the failure to notice unexpected events when attention is focused elsewhere, such as missing a gorilla in the famous “invisible gorilla” experiment.
What is sustained attention, and what challenges does it pose?
Sustained attention is maintaining focus on a single target over time. It becomes increasingly difficult, impacting performance in tasks like radar monitoring or long-distance driving.
How do controlled and automatic processes differ in response selection?
Controlled Processes: Require conscious effort, slow, and sequential.
Automatic Processes: Unconscious, fast, and parallel, developed through practice.
What are production units, and how do they aid performance?
Production units are groups of subtasks that become automatic through practice, enabling complex skills to be performed smoothly and efficiently.
Why is using a cell phone while driving dangerous?
Conversations compete for attentional resources required for driving, diverting focus and slowing response times, even with hands-free devices.
