Lecture 4: Attention Flashcards

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1
Q

What is attention?

A

The ability to focus on specific stimuli or locations in our environment

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2
Q

What is selective attention?

A

Attending to one thing while ignoring others

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3
Q

Divided attention

A

Paying attention to more than one thing at a time

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4
Q

What happens during selective attention? (2)

A
  • we do not attend to a large fraction of the information in the environment
  • we filter out a lot of information and promote other information for further processing
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5
Q

What is dichotic listening?

A

One message is presented to the left ear and another to the right ear

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6
Q

What are the models of selective attention? (3)

A

Early, intermediate and late selection models

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7
Q

Example of an early selection model

A

Broadbent’s filter model

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8
Q

Example of an intermediate selection model

A

Treisman’s attenuation model

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9
Q

Example of a late selection model

A

MacKay 1973

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10
Q

What does an early selection model do?

A

Filters message before incoming information is analysed for meaning

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11
Q

What are the four steps of Broadbent’s Filter Model?

A
  1. Sensory memory
  2. Filter
  3. Detector
  4. Short-term memory
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12
Q

What role does sensory memory have in Broadbent’s Filter Model? (2)

A
  • Holds all incoming information for a fraction of a second
  • Transfers all information to the next stage
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13
Q

What role does the filter have in Broadbent’s Filter Model? (2)

A
  • Identifies attended message based on physical characteristics
  • Only attended message is passed on to the next stage
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14
Q

What role does the detector have in Broadbent’s Filter Model?

A

Processes all information to determine higher-level characteristics of the message

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15
Q

What role does short-term memory have in Broadbent’s Filter Model? (2)

A
  • Receives output of detector
  • Holds information for 10-15 seconds and may transfer it to long-term memory
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16
Q

Limitations of Broadbent’s Model

A

It could not explain:
- Why would participant’s name get through
- Why participants can shadow meaningful messages that switch from one ear to another

17
Q

What is the cocktail party phenomenon?

A

The ability to focus on one stimulus while filtering out other stimuli, especially at a party where there are a lot of simultaneous conversations

18
Q

What happens during the intermediate selection model?

A
  • Attended messages can be separated from unattended messages early in the information-processing system
  • Selection can also occur later