Midterm 2 - Unit 4 Lecture 1 Flashcards
What is selective attention?
process of directing our awareness to relevant stimuli while ignoring irrelevant stimuli in the environment.
why is selective attention important
allows us to tune out insignificant details and focus on what is important
When is selective attention used?
Humans use selective attention to cope with unlimited number of stimuli in the environment
what are the two types of selective attention
Endogenous attention
Exogenous attention
what is Endogenous attention
conscious direct attention to a particular aspect of the environment
voluntary choice based upon your current goals, e.g., studying
Occurs mainly in pre-frontal cortex
what is Exogenous attention
unexpected salient stimulus causes a shift of focus from what is being attended at that moment
shift focus to new information that may require your attention, e.g., loud noise
Occurs mainly in Parietal cortex
what is the most important attention to humans
Visual selective attention because we are “visual creatures”.
Hearing and proprioceptive/kinesthetic are secondary. True or false
true
what is inattention blindness
People sometimes fail to notice salient unexpected objects when their attention is otherwise occupied,
what is inattention blindness
People sometimes fail to notice salient unexpected objects when their attention is otherwise occupied,
what is Foveation
process in which eye movements direct the fovea to new objects of interest in the visual space.
what is Fixation
Eye is fixed on object and information can be inputted into the system
what is Saccade
Rapid involuntary movement of the eye
Function is to move eye from fixation to fixation
They range in amplitude from small movements made while reading to much larger movements made while gazing around a room
One of the fastest movements produced by the human body
No input of information!
Only happens in the fixation
How do we actually “look” at something?
When inspecting an object, eye movements consist of a complex pattern of saccades and fixations
what are Smooth pursuit eye movements
Smooth pursuit movements are much slower tracking movements of the eyes designed to keep a moving stimulus on the fovea once foveation is achieved.
Velocity of eye is matched with moving object so that it is effectively fixated and information can be inputted.
Such movements are under voluntary control in the sense that the observer can choose whether or not to track a moving stimulus
what is Peripheral vision
refers to the ability to perceive stimuli in terms of their angular distance from point of fixation
Human peripheral vision is poor at….
distinguishing detail, colour and shape.
the density of receptor and ganglion cells in the retina is greater at the ____________and lowest at the ___________
center, edges
Studies of novice drivers showed novice drivers……
Smaller range of horizontal scanning
Looking closer in front of the vehicle and more to the right of the direction of travel
Sampled rear view mirror less frequently
Made pursuit eye movements on the freeway whereas experienced drivers made eye fixations
what is Auditory selective attention
Pay attention to one ear and ignore the other
Or
Switch attention between ears
Example of selective auditory attention
dichotic listening paradigm
what is dichotic listening paradigm
a listener is presented with two sound sequences. In one condition, the sequences are presented simultaneously to the same ear(s). In the other, one sound sequence is presented to one ear and a different sound sequence to the other. The sound sequences are typically speech
what did the North & Hargreaves (1997) study exemplify
drivers tend to turn down the radio volume in heavy traffic as loud arousing music requires greater processing demands – “turning down the radio while driving so that you can see better
what did the North & Hargreaves (1997) study exemplify
drivers tend to turn down the radio volume in heavy traffic as loud arousing music requires greater processing demands – “turning down the radio while driving so that you can see better
what did the North & Hargreaves (1997) study exemplify
drivers tend to turn down the radio volume in heavy traffic as loud arousing music requires greater processing demands – “turning down the radio while driving so that you can see better
what were the basis of North & Hargreaves (1999) study on the effects of music ‘complexity’ on driving performance
listening to a piece of music requires cognitive work (such as, analyses of musical components, and on- line temporal processing of fluid auditory combinations)
arousing music (which is more cognitively-demanding) will reduce the amount of attentional space available
when arousing music and driving draw simultaneously on the same limited processing capacity driving performance will be significantly impaired
simulated speed-driving was best performed in the low-demand/low arousal music combination
