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Cognitive Psychology 1 > Unit 1 (Attention) > Flashcards

Unit 1 (Attention) Flashcards

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1
Q

what is attention

A

the conscious or unconscious selection of information for cognitive processing

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2
Q

when did interest in attention start

A

in World War Two, concerning the focus of fighter pilots

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3
Q

can attention capacity change

A

yes, through factors such as drowsiness which can lower attention capacity

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4
Q

what is involuntary attention

A

exogenous, or bottom up attention is surprising important and interesting stimuli which captures attention

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5
Q

what is voluntary attention

A

endogenous, or top down attention is when an individual attends to things of personal importance and reacts to expected signals

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6
Q

what is enhanced processing

A

filtering out unwanted signals (e.g. classroom noise)

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7
Q

what is diminished awareness

A

looking but not seeing or listening but not hearing as the stimuli was not selected

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8
Q

types of attention

A

auditory
visual
spatial
focused
sustained
alternating
divided

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9
Q

what is pre-attentive processing

A

it refers to the first stage of perception where the brain automatically analyses information before attention is applied

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10
Q

what is attentional gaze

A

it is like a zoom lens or a spotlight. it reflects where a persons visual attention is attending

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11
Q

describe attentional shifts

A

they are faster than the eye. they can be caused by social cues (i.e. someone else looking somewhere), goal directed, or driven by salient stimuli

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12
Q

what is change blindness

A

the inability to notice significant changes in environment, even when they happen in plain sight

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13
Q

what is the cocktail party theory

A

it explains how individuals can focus their attention on a single stimuli or conversation in a noisy environment

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14
Q

what is selective attention

A

it allows individuals to focus on specific stimuli while filtering out distractions or irrelevant information

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15
Q

why is the cocktail party effect significant

A

it illustrates the brains ability to prioritise sensory information, which is crucial for effective communication and functioning in social settings

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16
Q

real life example of cocktail party theory

A

its like being in a party with multiple conversations and noise going on around you but you are able to focus on the conversation you are engaging in

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17
Q

what is Broadbent’s bottleneck theory

A

it suggests that information processing is limited by a ‘‘bottleneck’’ which filters out irrelevant stimuli, allowing only certain information to be processed

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18
Q

limitations of cocktail party theory

A

it may not fully account for how people process and switch their attention between multiple stimuli, like in divided attention or when the ignored message is personally relevant (e.g. name)

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19
Q

how does bottleneck theory operate in context of attention

A

it suggests that only a certain amount of information can be attended at once, leading to selective attention

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20
Q

real life example of bottleneck theory

A

a server has to take orders, deliver food, and handle payments. The “bottleneck” occurs at the point where the server can only focus on a limited number of tasks at once.

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21
Q

what is the flexible (Treisman) filter model

A

it describes how attention acts as a dynamic filter, allowing selective processing of information while still permitting some unattended stimuli to be processed, based on its significance

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22
Q

trainman vs broadbents theories

A

treismans is more flexible, it suggests that some unattended stimuli can still be processed and that attention can adapt based on context and importance of information

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23
Q

real life example of treismans model

A

when someone is in a crowded room, engaged in conversation but hears their name across the room and shifts their attention. Despite being focused on one conversation, the significance of their name allowed for unattended information to be processed

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24
Q

what is Norman’s Pertinence model

A

it emphasises how significance influences the selection and processing of information. it suggests that attention acts as a filter prioritising stimuli based on their meaning to the individual

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25
Q

how is Pertinence model different from other attention models

A

earlier models focused on primarily physical characteristics whereas the Pertinence model accounts for both internal factors such as goals and expectations and external factors such as the features of stimuli in guiding attention

26
Q

what role do internal factors play in the Pertinence model?

A

internal factors, such as an individuals goals, interests, and prior knowledge significantly influence how attention is allocated. These factors help determine what information is deemed relevant and worth focusing on at any given moment

27
Q

real life example of the Pertinence model

A

a student studying in a noisy cafe. they can filter out background noise and focus on their textbook because the content is relevant to their exam, demonstrating how relevance shapes attention

28
Q

what is external attention

A

a type of attention which focuses on processing stimuli from the environment, such as visual or auditory information

29
Q

what is internal attention

A

involves focusing on internal cognitive processes such as thoughts, memories, and planning. it plays a crucial role in decision making and problem solving

30
Q

what was the main objective of Sperling (1960) experiment

A

to investigate the capacity and duration of visual memory

31
Q

how did Sperling (1960) experiment work

A

participants were shown a grid of letters for about 50 milliseconds and then it disappeared, they were then asked to recall the letters

32
Q

what were the two conditions of Sperling (1960)

A
  1. full report
  2. partial report
33
Q

what were the findings of Sperling (1960) for full report

A

participants could only remember about 4-5 letters from the grid, indicating that we have limited recall capacity

34
Q

what were the findings of Sperling (1960) for partial report

A

participants were able to recall more letters when cued to remember a specific row, demonstrating that more information is available in sensory memory

35
Q

what was Sperling’s conclusion

A

sperling concluded that iconic memory has a large capacity but fades quickly, emphasising the importance of attention in accessing visual information

36
Q

main objective of Styles and Allport

A

to investigate how different types of attention influence performance

37
Q

which types of processing did styles and allport investigate?

A

controlled processing and automatic processing

38
Q

how did styles and allport demonstrate the difference between controlled and automatic processing

A

they used tasks which required varying levels of attention, showing how performance differed based on the type of processing required

39
Q

how does automatic processing impact task performance

A

automatic processing allows for faster responses and multitasking but can lead to errors when applied to new or complex situations

40
Q

what is divided attention

A

paying attention to two or more stimuli at once or performing two or more tasks at once

41
Q

example of divided attention

A

when a person is trying to study for an exam while also listening to music and texting a friend. the individual is splitting their focus between multiple tasks

42
Q

three factors impacting multi tasking

A
  1. task similarity
  2. task difficulty
  3. processing type
43
Q

impact of greater task similarity on multi tasking

A

tasks which are more similar result in poorer performance while multi tasking

44
Q

how does task difficulty influence multitasking

A

two simple tasks = better performance

45
Q

what is controlled processing

A

high effort and deliberate processing, involves conscious tasks. does not support multitasking

46
Q

types of controlled processes

A

problem solving and decision making

47
Q

real life example of controlled processing

A

learning to play a guitar

48
Q

what is automatic processing

A

fast and unconscious type of processing. supports multitasking

49
Q

real life example of automatic processing

A

driving a familiar route

50
Q

what are the three stages of automisation of skills

A
  1. cognitive stage
  2. associative stage
  3. autonomous stage
51
Q

explain the cognitive stage of automisation

A

learners focus on understanding the skill. they actively think about what they need to do, relying on instructions

52
Q

explain the associative stage of automisation

A

the learner begins to refine their skill through practice. they start to recognise and correct errors. actions begin to become more automatic, but still require some concentration

53
Q

explain the autonomous stage of automisation

A

the skill becomes automatic. the learner can perform the task with little conscious thought

54
Q

what is under capacity

A

when our cognitive resources are not being fully used, leading to a suboptimal performance

55
Q

main focus of Sandstorm et al. 1984

A

to examine how open plan offices effect attention and productivity

56
Q

positives of open plan offices

A

they can enhance collaboration

57
Q

implications of Sundstrom for attention

A

employees may find themselves using divided attention and decreasing productivity

57
Q

explain Kahneman central capacity theory

A

suggests that humans have a limited capacity for cognitive resources and tasks fight for these limited resources

58
Q

how does this theory relate to attention

A

attention is not a fixed resource but a flexible one that can be allocated based on task demands

59
Q

explain the Wickens 1984 multiple resource theory

A

human cognitive resources are divided into distinct channels, allowing for the simultaneous processing of information without significant interference

60
Q
A
61
Q

what happens to attention when multiple tasks compete for the same resources

A

it can lead to reduced focus and decreased performance

Cognitive Psychology 1 (3 decks)

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