Selective Attention Flashcards
What are the different modes of attention?
active (TOP-DOWN)
passive (BOTTOM-UP)
Describe active attention
when attention is used to achieve goals
TOP-DOWN
Describe passive attention
when attentional processes directs our attention to stimulating properties in the environment
e.g. loud noises
BOTTOM-UP
Describe first ‘pre-attentive’ filtering
simple physical characteristics extracted in parallel
e.g. spacial location (left/right) or male/female voice
Describe second ‘attentive’ filtering
more complex psychological properties
~ semantics
~ ‘processor heavy’ –> needs to be limited
Broadbent filter theory mechanism (4 + date)
1958 (early selection)
- first ‘pre-attentive’ filter/parallel stage
- attention filters what passes the beyond the sensory buffer
- serial stage = only attended stream is analysed for semantic content
- semantically processed content is passed to short term memory + can lead to behaviour
Evidence for Broadbent’s filter theory
~ explains Cherry’s early findings (1953)
~ B also found that info is grouped based on perceptual features
e.g. numbers played into diff ears, people said the numbers from one ear then the other, not the chronological sequence
What does Broadbent’s theory suggest and which study disproved it?
that unattended info does not reach short term memory
(early selection)
~ Corteen and Dunn (1974) study disproves it
Late selection theory mechanism (4 + date)
Deutsch + Deutsch (1963)
- all streams receive full perceptual processing in parallel
- all streams are analysed for semantic content in parallel
- filter much closer to response
- attention selects for awareness, response + memory retention
Treisman’s attenuation theory mechanism (5 + date)
gradual
(1960; 1969)
1. processing of physical features in parallel
2. attention is not ‘all or none’ processing
3. some unattenuated info will reach full semantic processing
4. some retained in short term memory
5. more processing and retention of main stream
(parallel throughout)
Describe the thresholds for unattended stimuli.
some words have lower thresholds so are processed easier than others
e.g. names have lower thresholds then ‘bread’
exogenous
external
endogenous
internal
Posner Cuing
Posner (1980)
~ Attention can be cued in an exogenous or endogenous manner
~ suggests attention may be thought of as a spotlight
Zoom lens theory
(La Berge, 1983)
you can focus your attention from a sharp focus to a broad window
Multiple spotlights/split attention theory
you can have multiple attentional ‘spotlights’
(Awh + Pashler, 2000) = supporting study
Cherry’s findings
(1953)
- for effective filtering, we need clear differences in physical characteristics
- very little info. is picked up in the unattended stream
Cocktail party problem
the brain’s ability to focus one’s auditory attention on a particular stimulus while filtering out a range of other stimuli
What did Corteen and Dunn’s study show?
~ that there can be some semantic processing without awareness
~ electric shock created a conditioned response to certain words
~ disproves early selection
Semantic priming effect
~ semantically related primes may lower the threshold of related words
Broadbent theory
1958
~ filters act on perceptual features
~ only attended streams have access to semantic processing
~ disproved by slips in attention
Late selection theory
(1963)
~ everything is processed
~ attention determines response + storage
Treisman’s attenuation theory
(1960; 1969)
like Broadbent’s theory but with a ‘leaky’ filter
Rock and Gutman
(1991) ~ red and green overplayed images ~ told to pay attention to red image ~ poor memory for green images ~ supports early selection
Tipper
(1985) ~ negative priming: - two superimposed images presented - subject directed to focus on one - if the ignored-object in the previous image is semantically related to the next one which needs to be named, the naming is impaired ~ supports late and Treisman's theories
La Berge
(1983)
~ proved that size of attention spotlight can be manipulated by task demands
Awh + Pashler
(2000)
~ attention can be split as long as the stimuli are not directly next to each other
~ supports multiple spotlights
