Lecture 4 - Cognitive Factors

Question 1

What are the 3 stages of Central processing?

Answer 1

Stimulus identification, response selection, response programming

Question 2

How do you measure central processing

Answer 2

reaction time

Question 3

What are two types of anticipation and how do they affect movement?

Answer 3

Effector anticipation = knowing how long internal process will take so that planned movement coincides with anticipated external event
Temporal anticipation = knowing when stimulus will occur

Question 4

What two things does temporal anticipation rely on?

Answer 4

Foreperiod regularity = consistency in foreperiods
Foreperiod duration = too short, increased RT. Too long, with catch trials (no stimulus) increased RT. Aging foreperiods (no catch trials) has decreasing RT with increasing foreperiod

Question 5

Give examples of benefits and costs of anticipation, and how is this experimentally identified

Answer 5

Quarterback, soccer goalie

Test using precue paradigm with neutral and then valid or invalid precue

Question 6

List and describe the 6 different types of attention

Answer 6

1) Selective = filtering out specific stimuli and suppress distracters
2) sustained = maintain attention on specific task
3) divided = ability to carry out multiple tasks at same time
4) alerting = sustained attention and vigilance (increase and maintain response readiness)
5) orienting = select specific information from multiple stimuli and orient to source
6) executive = decision making, conflict resolution

Question 7

What are three theories of attention

Answer 7

1) single channel filter = can’t multitask, fixed attention capacity, stimulus proceeds until it reaches filter, then requires attention to proceed
2) flexible allocation of capacity = can multitask, attention capacity increases to match demands of task, parallel processing
3) Action-selection = intend to obtain goal, so select action. certain processes prevented from occurring, interference not heeded because action already selected

Question 8

Describe how dual task paradigms work

Answer 8

Assume limited capacity of information, thus, if 2 tasks exceed capacity, then we will see performance decline. If performance declines, can assume that they compete for same class of information processing resources

Question 9

What is the difference between structural and capacity interference?

Answer 9

Structural=physical structures cause for decline

capacity= limited capacity causes decline in performance

Question 10

Describe a dual task paradigm

Answer 10

Standing balance. Visual tracking, when perturbation applied, APR (automatic postural response) occurs, and then during the later stage of response, there is a deviation in tracking, showing that the response was complex enough to exceed capacity

Question 11

How does dual tasking affect walking

Answer 11

decrease gait speed
secondary task decline
difficulty with decision making

Question 12

How to fix multitasking deficits

Answer 12

exercise, video games, exergaming

Question 13

What is the difference between arousal and anxiety?

Answer 13

Arousal = internal state of alertness/excitement
Anxiety = impact of arousal

Question 14

What is the relationship between arousal and performance?

Answer 14

Inverted U, want middling levels of arousal

Question 15

What is the reverse hypothesis

Answer 15

How we interpret arousal dictates how it affects performance

Question 16

How do threats affect motor performance

also sway

Answer 16

more cautious, slower, gaze fixation strategies focus closer

stiffening strategy, reduce postural sway with fear

Question 17

What are the two types of the stimulus identification stage

Answer 17

Stimulus detection = environmental stimulus transformed so neural impulses sent to brain
Clarity and duration of stimulus afffect RT
Pattern Recognition = pattern picked out of environment
can use optic flow patterns

Question 18

What is the response selection stage? and what is it influenced by?

Answer 18

where the decision is made as to what response is selected
# of S-R alternatives
S-R compatibility

Question 19

what is the relationship between Choice RT and # of S-R alternatives?

Answer 19

Hick’s Law, based on a log scale of the number of S-R alternatives
As alternatives increase, processing requires more time, and if it causes increase in choice RT, then can be seen as alternatives playing role in decision making time

Question 20

Describe Hick’s Law graph

Answer 20

Measured in bits, where doubling the number of alternatives= increasing by 1 bit
Y-intercept = simple RT time, no decision making time needed, speed of perceptual and motor system
Slope = speed of decision making

Question 21

Where does Hick’s Law break down?

Answer 21

Predictability
Practice/experience
relationship between stimuli and response (flashing lights and eye movement)

Question 22

What is the stimulus-response compatibility

Answer 22

relationship between stimulus and response
high compatibility = shorter RT
Ex lift left finger when sound in left ear
used in ergonomics, human-machine interfaces

Question 23

What are the three parts of the response programming stage

Answer 23

Retrieval of program of action
Preparation of program for activation
Movement initiation
As complexity of movement increased, reaction time increased, suggesting that programming takes longer
Accuracy and duration of movement also affects RT

Question 24

What is the psychological refractory period

Answer 24

delay in response to second of 2 closely spaced stimuli
Can't respond to 2nd stimulus until initiation of response to first stimulus
If SOA (stimulus onset asynchrony) is greater than time to initiate first response, then do not see the PRP
If very short SOA, then 2 stimuli treated as single complex event

Question 25

What moderates the PRP

Answer 25

Practice, complexity of 1st stimulus, S-R compatability

Question 26

What are the three types of movement memory

Answer 26

1) sensory memory = very short lasting
2) short term = working memory (storing numbers/words/spatial locations)
3) long-term memory = permanent