Lecture 7: Attention Flashcards
Common concepts of attention:
selectivity (spatial, auditory, timing)
capacity
expectation
switching
2 components of attention:
recruitment of resources
focussing on selected aspects of sensory inputs
Capacity:
amount of perceptual resources available
Selectivity:
what gets processed and what does not (overt and covert)
Early vs Late selection
How can early selections be made without any processing?
If selection occurs after extensive processing, why bother selecting at all?
Three components of shifting attention:
Disengagement - Attention is normally focused on some object. Therefore, to move, it must first disengage from the current target.
Movement - Once disengaged, attention is free to move and must be directed to the new target.
Engagement - After reaching the target, attention must be reengaged on the new object.
Spotlight metaphor for visual attention
Attention is like a spotlight, illuminating the object in
its focus region.
The Posner cueing data support this analogy.
Zoom-lens metaphor for visual attention
Attention is loosely likened to a zoom lens on a
camera that has variable spatial scope.
The wider the field, the coarser the detail. Narrow field = fine resolution.
Local/Global tasks support the zoom lens metaphor.
Distributed vs Focused Attention
Distributed attention features Parallel processing and visual “pop out”; Visual processing occurs simultaneously over the whole visual field.
Focused Attention features Serial processing; Visual processing is a series of attentional “fixations” each covering a different region of the visual field.
What does the Stroop effect show us?
Selection of properties of objects is less straight forward than spatial attention
Spatial neglect (hemi neglect):
Damage to the parietal lobe compromises attentional processes leading to neglect of the contralateral side of visual space.
Right parietal damage is more debilitating than left parietal damage
