Lecture 4

Question 1

Attention as a central process

Answer 1

Attention is a capacity for conscious processing of information. 
The capacity is limited.
Capacity is required for:
\+Semantic analysis of perceptual information
\+Reasoning and decision making
\+Planning 
\+Response selection 
\+Response inhibition

Question 2

We have used one pool of cognitive resources that has a limited capacity…

Answer 2

The pool of resources is attention/central execution
Used flexibly across all tasks
If demand of task exceeds capacity then performance suffers

Question 3

Kahneman (single resource theory)

Answer 3

Attention is limited, but flexible
Motivation and arousal increase cognitive resources

Attention is only needed when we consciously control behaviour

Question 4

Evaluation of single resource theories

Answer 4

+ explains why dual tasking can lead to poor performance

• no independent assessment of central capacity
  experimental evidence is consistent with multiple resource theories
  Tasks in the same modality are more disruptive than tasks in different modalities

Question 5

Attention and multiple resource theories

Answer 5

Different pools of attentional resource

Similar tasks compete for the same resources, but dissimilar tasks do not

Question 6

Criticisms of multiple resource theories

Answer 6

Does not address touch
Ignores co-ordination problems for dual tasks
Some disruption for dual tasks in different modules

Question 7

Baddeley & attention

Answer 7

Integrated model of modules and central processes. The focus is on processing and not responses or modalities

Question 8

Divided attention & dual tasks

Answer 8

These can give insight to the limits of human information processing and limits of the attentional resource

Factors affecting dual task performance:
similarity
practice
difficulty

Question 9

How can we try to differentiate between attention and similar tasks?

Answer 9

How similar is the input (Stimulus modality)?- try doing two visual tasks at once
How similar is the output (response modality)?- left hand response to task A and right hand response to task B

Question 10

Is performance better or worse when tasks are similar?

Answer 10

worse

Question 11

What happens when tasks become harder?

Answer 11

They require more information processing- require more attention
They require extra co-ordination - the processing requirement is more than the sum of the two tasks

Question 12

What happens when you practice a dual task?

Answer 12

Performance becomes better

Question 13

Spelke, Hirst & Neisser

Practice

Answer 13

Taught students to read stories and take dictation
Initially had poor handwriting and reading speed
6 weeks of training- reading speed was normal and handwriting improved

Question 14

Why does practice reduce interference?

Answer 14

People develop effective new strategies to minimise interference
People reduce the amount of cognitive resources the tasks need (the tasks become easier)
Practice reduced the number of different cognitive processes required

Question 15

Automatic processing

Answer 15

Practised tasks become automatic and do not require attention.

Automaticity:
fast
does not disrupt other tasks 
unconscious 
reflexive (always occur when the appropriate stimulus is present)

Question 16

Shiffrin and Schneider

Answer 16

Fully automatic processing is controlled by schemas (sport stacking)
Contention scheduling- chooses between simultaneously active schema. Biased by goals and desires but does not require attention.
Deliberate control by supervisory attention system- system for over-riding automatically generated behaviours (doing things for the first time)

Question 17

Action slips

Answer 17

In 35 healthy participants a diary study of 35 neurotypical people was kept.
Average 1 action slip per day:
put something away in the wrong place
go the wrong way in a familiar environment
add ingredients in wrong order
use wrong implement

Typically occurs when attention is elsewhere (daydream, tired)

Question 18

Evaluation of attention slips

Answer 18

+ describes properties of automatic processes, very influential

• descriptive and does not always explain why or how practice makes tasks automatic.
  Practice could speed processing or it could change processing

Question 19

Instance theory (Logan)

Answer 19

Each encounter with a stimulus produces a separate memory trace
Repeated encounters produce a greater store of information about the stimulus and how to process it.
This increase in knowledge means retrieval of relevant information about the stimulus is fast
Automaticity occurs when the stimulus directly triggers the retrieval of a past solution from memory.
In other cases the solution must be arrived using conscious strategies or heuristics.