UNIT 2: AOS 1 CHP 9 - Attention (3 types) Flashcards
What is attention?
the level of awareness directed towards certain stimuli to the exclusion of other.
How does attention help us make sense of the world?
brain uses attention as a filter to determine what is important and what is not.
What is sustained attention? (vigilance)
Type cognitive processing required?
Used for what tasks?
involves maintaining a high degree of attention over a prolonged period.
controlled cognitive processing.
simple and complex tasks.
Negatives of sustained attention?
the longer you pay sustained attention, the higher the risk of misperception.
How does sustained attention help us make sense of the world around us?
Helps navigate contexts in which new stimuli are likely to be encountered.
What is selective attention?
Type cognitive processing required?
Used for what tasks?
focusing on a single activity while disregarding other environmental stimuli.
controlled cognitive processing.
complex tasks.
Negatives of selective attention?
cocktail party effect - can lead to disregarding other important stimuli.
How does selective attention help us make sense of the world around us?
Helps us focus on particular stimuli and block out others.
What is divided attention?
Type cognitive processing required?
Used for what tasks?
distributing attention to allow the processing of two or more stimuli at the same time
automatic cognitive processing.
simple tasks.
Negatives of divided attention?
performance decreases if one or more of the tasks focused on are complex.
How does divided attention help us make sense of the world around us?
Allows us to multitask and switch between tasks.
