Unit 1 (Attention) Flashcards
what is attention
the conscious or unconscious selection of information for cognitive processing
when did interest in attention start
in World War Two, concerning the focus of fighter pilots
can attention capacity change
yes, through factors such as drowsiness which can lower attention capacity
what is involuntary attention
exogenous, or bottom up attention is surprising important and interesting stimuli which captures attention
what is voluntary attention
endogenous, or top down attention is when an individual attends to things of personal importance and reacts to expected signals
what is enhanced processing
filtering out unwanted signals (e.g. classroom noise)
what is diminished awareness
looking but not seeing or listening but not hearing as the stimuli was not selected
types of attention
auditory
visual
spatial
focused
sustained
alternating
divided
what is pre-attentive processing
it refers to the first stage of perception where the brain automatically analyses information before attention is applied
what is attentional gaze
it is like a zoom lens or a spotlight. it reflects where a persons visual attention is attending
describe attentional shifts
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
what is change blindness
the inability to notice significant changes in environment, even when they happen in plain sight
what is the cocktail party theory
it explains how individuals can focus their attention on a single stimuli or conversation in a noisy environment
what is selective attention
it allows individuals to focus on specific stimuli while filtering out distractions or irrelevant information
why is the cocktail party effect significant
it illustrates the brains ability to prioritise sensory information, which is crucial for effective communication and functioning in social settings
real life example of cocktail party theory
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
what is Broadbent’s bottleneck theory
it suggests that information processing is limited by a ‘‘bottleneck’’ which filters out irrelevant stimuli, allowing only certain information to be processed
limitations of cocktail party theory
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)
how does bottleneck theory operate in context of attention
it suggests that only a certain amount of information can be attended at once, leading to selective attention
real life example of bottleneck theory
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.
what is the flexible (Treisman) filter model
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
trainman vs broadbents theories
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
real life example of treismans model
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
what is Norman’s Pertinence model
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
how is Pertinence model different from other attention models
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
what role do internal factors play in the Pertinence model?
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
real life example of the Pertinence model
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
what is external attention
a type of attention which focuses on processing stimuli from the environment, such as visual or auditory information
what is internal attention
involves focusing on internal cognitive processes such as thoughts, memories, and planning. it plays a crucial role in decision making and problem solving
what was the main objective of Sperling (1960) experiment
to investigate the capacity and duration of visual memory
how did Sperling (1960) experiment work
participants were shown a grid of letters for about 50 milliseconds and then it disappeared, they were then asked to recall the letters
what were the two conditions of Sperling (1960)
- full report
- partial report
what were the findings of Sperling (1960) for full report
participants could only remember about 4-5 letters from the grid, indicating that we have limited recall capacity
what were the findings of Sperling (1960) for partial report
participants were able to recall more letters when cued to remember a specific row, demonstrating that more information is available in sensory memory
what was Sperling’s conclusion
sperling concluded that iconic memory has a large capacity but fades quickly, emphasising the importance of attention in accessing visual information
main objective of Styles and Allport
to investigate how different types of attention influence performance
which types of processing did styles and allport investigate?
controlled processing and automatic processing
how did styles and allport demonstrate the difference between controlled and automatic processing
they used tasks which required varying levels of attention, showing how performance differed based on the type of processing required
how does automatic processing impact task performance
automatic processing allows for faster responses and multitasking but can lead to errors when applied to new or complex situations
what is divided attention
paying attention to two or more stimuli at once or performing two or more tasks at once
example of divided attention
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
three factors impacting multi tasking
- task similarity
- task difficulty
- processing type
impact of greater task similarity on multi tasking
tasks which are more similar result in poorer performance while multi tasking
how does task difficulty influence multitasking
two simple tasks = better performance
what is controlled processing
high effort and deliberate processing, involves conscious tasks. does not support multitasking
types of controlled processes
problem solving and decision making
real life example of controlled processing
learning to play a guitar
what is automatic processing
fast and unconscious type of processing. supports multitasking
real life example of automatic processing
driving a familiar route
what are the three stages of automisation of skills
- cognitive stage
- associative stage
- autonomous stage
explain the cognitive stage of automisation
learners focus on understanding the skill. they actively think about what they need to do, relying on instructions
explain the associative stage of automisation
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
explain the autonomous stage of automisation
the skill becomes automatic. the learner can perform the task with little conscious thought
what is under capacity
when our cognitive resources are not being fully used, leading to a suboptimal performance
main focus of Sandstorm et al. 1984
to examine how open plan offices effect attention and productivity
positives of open plan offices
they can enhance collaboration
implications of Sundstrom for attention
employees may find themselves using divided attention and decreasing productivity
explain Kahneman central capacity theory
suggests that humans have a limited capacity for cognitive resources and tasks fight for these limited resources
how does this theory relate to attention
attention is not a fixed resource but a flexible one that can be allocated based on task demands
explain the Wickens 1984 multiple resource theory
human cognitive resources are divided into distinct channels, allowing for the simultaneous processing of information without significant interference
what happens to attention when multiple tasks compete for the same resources
it can lead to reduced focus and decreased performance
