Topic 5 Attention pt 1 Flashcards
What is attention?
Given limited capacity to process competing options, attention mechanisms select, modulate, and sustain focus on information most relevant for behaviour
What is the problem with attention?
how to allocate limited resources in the service of behaviour
What is the importance of attention?
we need to prioritize information so we do not waste time and energy on irrelevant efforts
what is the challenge with attention?
how to balance the need for selective focus with the need to handle new situations as they arise
Explain exogenous source
exogenous source is in the environment , reflexive, automatic, and “bottom up”
Explain endogenous source
endogenous source is in the mind, voluntary, intentional, and “top down”
what is an external target?
sensory information, in the environment
what is an internal target?
mental representations, in the mind
someone did a hit and run on your car. You try to remember the license plate number. Is this an internal or external target?
internal target: mental representations, in the mind
internal targets include memories, imagery, or a plan
Can exogenous sources be internal?
No, exogenous sources are always external because we have to see something to have a bottom up processing
What types of attention are there?
overt vs covert
transient vs sustained
selective vs undivided
Dylan notices something from the corner of his eye without fixated his gaze onto that particular object. What type of attention is this?
covert attention
You are walking down a busy street and you occasionally glance at a people’s faces but you don’t think much of it or react to it. What type of attention is this?
transient attention
you are trying to look for your coffee mug. What type of processing would you be using (top down, bottom up), and is it external or internal?
looking for a coffee mug would be endogenous top down processing and external target
You are reading a book and you don’t notice that your parents have entered the room. What type of attention is this?
selective attention
you are riding a bike and you decide to call someone while riding that bike. What type of attention is this?
divided attention
the cocktail party effect is a ______ source of attention.
Exogenous, bottom up processing source of attention
what is the cocktail party effect in a sentence?
auditory selective attention in a noisy environment
What is the Broadment’s Early Selection theory?
the theory states that unattended sensory information gets filtered out early on (after low level perceptual analysis).
What is the problem with Broadment’s Early selection theory?
If unattented sensory information gets filtered out after low level perceptual analysis, then we shouldn’t be able to hear our own names if someone else were to call it out. Therefore, the Treisman’s attenuation theory was proposed
Max undergoes dichotic listening experiment. In one ear it says “Dear 7 Jane”. In the other ear it says “9 Aunt 6”. When ask to repeat what is said in one ear, he says “Dear Aunt Jane”. Which theory of selective attention backs up the result?
Treisman’s Attenuation Theory: weak filters allow us to still pay attention to unattended information if it’s critical to understanding meaning of message (or if we hear our own name)
The treisman’s attenuation theory and the broadment’s early selection theory, are filtered after which part of the neural hierarchy?
After primary auditory cortex (after low level perceptual analysis)
Which part of the neural hierarchy is responsible for decision making and memory storage?
multimodal association cortex
Which part of the neural hierarchy is responsible for high level semantic analysis ?
secondary / tertiary auditory cortex
