4. Attention Flashcards
(19 cards)
What 2 types of attention do we have ?
Selective and divided
What is Dichotic listening task?
Where 2 different messages are transmitted to 2 ears- ppt has to ignore 1 side and repeat the other
Which researcher carried out a dichotic listening task where ppts could recognise the voice and gender of speaker, but not content of what they were saying. What what did it show?
Cherry - that info in the unattended message is processed to a shallow degree
What is Broadbent’s filter model?
A model of 2 tubes, where only one ball can fit at a time, a hinge flap acts as a filter- hinging takes time and effort
What is the cocktail party phenomenon and who came up with it?
Moray :
Where ppts can hear their name on the unattended channel - so info isn’t fully filtered out in the unattended ear
What is Treisman’s attenuation model ?
Says unattended information isn’t entirely blocked - instead attention acts as a selective filter
What are the steps info goes through in Treismans filter?
- Physical properties of information are analysed
- Knowledge about the words is analysed
- Permanent priorities are checked (words like “fire”)
- Thresholds can be temporarily lowered by expectations (current priorities)
IF SIGNAL PASSES FILTERS, MEANING IS ANALYSED
If you hear what you expect to- attention is high
What is the difference between Broadbent’s model and Treisman’s model of attention?
Similarity: Information is filtered before the stage of pattern recognition in both
Difference:
Broadbent’s theory says unattended info is only recognised if attention switches
whereas
Treisman says unattended info is recognised if threshold is lowered
What is the main idea of late selection theories?
That all info is processed at a high level, before selection and filtering occur.
So, your brain recognizes and understands everything (to some degree), but only certain things make it into your short-term memory or awareness.
What is meant by sublime perception?
Late selection
What does Provocative claim mean ?
All unattended info is processed at a high level, and sensorial processing only occurs further on.
What evidence is there for sublime perception (late selection theory) ?
People are shown words very quickly (so fast they’re not aware of seeing them).
Then they’re shown related words, and they respond faster if the earlier, hidden word was semantically related
What is negative priming?
Suggests we ignore information, actively supressing it implying processing of non-attended information is deeper than assumed by early theories.
What is Kahneman’s capacity theory ?
A more recent theory saying:
- attention is a limited resource, people have limited-capacity pool of attention to carry out mental activities.
- simple tasks use little attention
- difficult tasks take up more attention
What affects how much capacity is available ?
- Task demands
- Arousal
- Individual differences
- Momentary importance
What is the allocation policy?
We control how we allocate our attention, but performance declines if attentional demand exceeds supply.
How can activities turn from conscious to automatic?
Practice and time turn a skill from conscious to automatic
What is the Stroop task?
Reading words is automatic and effortless because it’s highly practiced.
Naming colours is harder and needs conscious attention.
When the word and colour don’t match (e.g., the word “green” in red ink), your brain experiences conflict.
This conflict slows you down and can cause errors
What happens when a word and colour don’t match?
When the word and colour don’t match (e.g., the word “green” in red ink), your brain experiences conflict.
