Unit 1 introduction to attention Flashcards
How did William James define attention?
Attention is the “taking possession of the mind” in a focused way, withdrawing from other things to process effectively
Why is attention not considered a singular concept?
Attention is an umbrella term covering diverse cognitive processes
What do general definitions of attention emphasise?
Attention’s limited capacity and its intentional allocation to process a specific subset of available information
What is selective attention?
Focusing on one stimulus/task while ignoring distractions
What is divided attention?
Allocating attentional resources to multiple stimuli simultaneously
What is sustained attention?
Maintaining focus on a task over an extended period of time
What are the 4 functions of attention?
- Helps to select relevant information
- Enhance the speed and accuracy of processing information
- Facilitates better memory recall of attended information
- Enables monitoring of the environment and links past memories to the present
What is top-down processing attention
Active attention guided by goals and expectations
What is bottom-up processing in attention
Passive attention by an external stimuli
How does attention relate to consciousness? 2 answers
-Attention can involve processes outside conscious awareness.
- consciousness differs from attention
Why is attention important? 2 answers
-it acts as a filter to prevent sensory overload
-it helps future actions by analyzing current situations and connecting them to long-term memories
