Attention and Cognition

Question 1

arousal

Answer 1

overall alertness

Question 2

attention (selective attention)

Answer 2

is the process of selecting/focusing on one or more specific stimuli
sensory input or internal thought
overt vs. covert attention
cocktail party effect

Question 3

cocktail party effect

Answer 3

focuses cognitive processing resources
filter out distracters
enhance processing & analysis
enhance sounds with a pitch similar to the person talking to you

Question 4

attention is limited

Answer 4

focused selective attention on players dressed in white and ball
filter out distracters
enhance processing & analysis

Question 5

inattentional blindness

Answer 5

failure to perceive non-attended stimuli

Question 6

overt vs. covert attention

Answer 6

overt- physically directing attention
covert- peripheral vision, eavesdropping
overlapping brain circuitry

Question 7

divided-attention tasks

Answer 7

attentional spotlight sifts around trying to extract the multiple important pieces of information

Question 8

early-selection model

Answer 8

level of sensory input/processing
filters out unimportant (non-attended) sensory stimuli BEFORE perceptual analysis
deciding ahead before it gets far into brain processing

Question 9

late-selection model

Answer 9

level of higher cognitive processing
filters out unimportant (non-attended) sensory stimuli AFTER perceptual analysis

Question 10

perceptual load

Answer 10

combination of early and late selection

Question 11

complex vs simple stimulus

Answer 11

complex stimulus will lead to early selection
simple stimulus will lead to late selection

Question 12

What type of filtering may be occurring if you are in a loud room
talking to your friend, and then you hear someone behind you call
your name?
A. Early selection model
B. Late selection model

Answer 12

B. Late selection model

Question 13

What type of filtering may be occurring if you are in a crowded room
looking for your friend in a pink shirt, and you walk right past your
mom without recognizing her?
A. Early selection model
B. Late selection model

Answer 13

A. Early selection model

Question 14

voluntary attention

Answer 14

consciously- or endogenously-controlled attention
top-down process

Question 15

consciously- or endogenously-controlled attention

Answer 15

attention shift comes from within
allows for slower, longer-lasting, accurate attention

Question 16

top-down process

Answer 16

higher order processing controls lower order sensory processing - cortical region controls subcortical regions and sensory processing

Question 17

reflexive attention

Answer 17

exogenously-controlled attention
bottom-up process

Question 18

exogenously-controlled attention

Answer 18

involuntary reorientation towards sudden or important event
allows for very fast reaction time, but very brief (if irrelevant)

Question 19

bottom-up process

Answer 19

sensory inputs trigger higher order processing
stimulus causes you to move your eyes to the stimulus (where the brain tells you the sound or stimulus is coming from)

Question 20

subcortical areas involved in attention

Answer 20

pulvinar
superior colliculus
take control in bottom processing- receive info in top-down processing

Question 21

pulvinar

Answer 21

thalamus
shifting of attention
sensory information first goes here
isolates relevant information by filtering out distractors (mainly covert attention, some overt) - not directly paying attention to
mainly top-down processes

Question 22

superior colliculus

Answer 22

implements planned eye movements
mainly overt attention, though some role in covert attention, though same role in covert attention
also involved in reflexive attention
top-down and bottom-up processes

Question 23

cortical areas involved in voluntary attention

Answer 23

dorsal frontoparietal network
intraparietal sulcus/superior parietal lobule (IPS/SPL)
frontal eye field (FEF)
needs to be a lot of communication

Question 24

intraparietal sulcus/superior parietal lobule (IPS/SPL)

Answer 24

controls voluntary shifts of attention
eye movement planning

Question 25

frontal eye field (FEF)

Answer 25

premotor cortex established gaze in accordance with cognitive goals (top-down processes) establish where looking/where paying attention to- so that can carry out goal

Question 26

cortical areas involved in reflexive attention

Answer 26

right temporoparietal network temporoparietal junction (TPJ)

Question 27

temporoparietal junction (TPJ)

Answer 27

establishes gaze in accordance with characteristics of stimuli (bottom-up) shift happens after unexpected event

Question 28

voluntary and reflexive attention are complementary

Answer 28

can switch between the two peak attention in the beginning- reflexive takes a long time to happen but will stay for a long time- voluntary

Question 29

does attention change individual neuronal function?

Answer 29

fired a lot of action potentials when the neuron looks at the red dot what the monkey is paying attention to can change an individual neurons activity

Question 30

higher cognition

Answer 30

the thing that makes us humans sense of self awareness- consciousness ability to make complex decisions- planning and strategy, consideration of complex environment

Question 31

consciousness

Answer 31

awareness of self not one clear definition of consciousness- variety of aspects of consciousness

Question 32

claustrum

Answer 32

seat of consciousness reciprocal connections to almost all cortical areas stimulate it with strong pulse and lose conscious awareness

Question 33

claustrum discovery

Answer 33

studied brains while unconscious during surgery when conscious when claustrum was touched, patient went unconscious

Question 34

cognitively impenetrable

Answer 34

neural processing that can't be simplified

Question 35

easy problems

Answer 35

objective conscious experiences

Question 36

hard problems

Answer 36

subjective conscious experiences decision-making and free will (executive function) ex. what the flavor sweet is

Question 37

decision-making

Answer 37

although may not be aware of planning to pick up a water without thinking about it, the brain has a plan involving the premotor cortex - might not think about it, brain has made the decision and you are not conscious of the decision

Question 38

executive function

Answer 38

thoughts, feelings, choices direct attention to important stimulus/task formulate plan of action prefrontal cortex

Question 39

prefrontal cortex divisions

Answer 39

orbitofrontal PFC dorsolateral PFC

Question 40

orbitofrontal PFC

Answer 40

goal-directed behaviors, signaling expected outcomes (green)

Question 41

dorsolateral PFC

Answer 41

judgement, planning, insight, working memory (blue) weighing pros and cons