Chapter 4 Cognitive Psychology Flashcards
(22 cards)
What is attention?
Everyone know what attention is. It is
the taking possession by the mind, of
one out of several objects or trains of
thought…It implies withdrawal from
some things in order to deal effectively
with others
–William James (1890)
- Three aspects of attention in the
definition - Attention is limited resource
- Allows us to deal with attended stimuli
better - Involves avoiding distraction
Why attention matters?
- Without attention we would be passively focusing on the
brightest/loudest stimulus available - Attention allows us to choose what to focus on
- It allows us to hold information online for further processing (memory,
reasoning…) - Attention puts us in the driver’s seat of our mental functions
- Attention is a limited resource
- Can’t pay attention to everything all the time
- Energy consuming (tired after a long drive/giving a lecture/gaming)
A Prerequisite for Cognitive Functions
Attention is a fundamental prerequisite for all higher cognitive functions.
Perception serves as the gateway to these functions, and attention is the gatekeeper.
In research, attention is typically assessed before delving into tasks related to memory, language, problem-solving, reasoning, and other cognitive functions.
One common test used to measure attention is the Letter-Symbol Substitution Test.
Is attention one thing?
Types of Attention:
Selective Attention: This type of attention involves focusing on one particular stimulus or task while ignoring others. An example of this is when you’re engaged in a conversation at a noisy cocktail party and manage to focus on that conversation while tuning out the surrounding chatter.
Divided Attention: Divided attention refers to the ability to pay attention to more than one thing simultaneously. This can involve multitasking, such as listening to music while having a conversation or eating while watching TV.
Attentional Capture: Attentional capture occurs when your attention rapidly shifts due to a novel or unexpected stimulus. For example, your attention might be captured when a tray of glass falls and breaks or when a laser is pointed on the wall, drawing your immediate focus to the unexpected event.
Distraction: Distraction occurs when one stimulus interferes with the processing of another stimulus. For instance, you might be distracted by hearing your name in someone else’s conversation, which diverts your attention from your current task or conversation.
Models of Attention:
There are various models of attention, including:
Information Processing Model: This model describes how information is processed in stages, with attention allocating resources to specific information.
Perceptual Load Model: This model explains how the level of perceptual load can determine the allocation of attention.
How We Direct Attention:
Attention plays a crucial role in how we direct our focus. This includes activities like scanning a scene or monitoring our environment.
Outcome of Attention:
Attention has various outcomes and impacts on cognitive processes.
What Does Attention Do for Us:
Attention serves several functions, such as filtering out distractions, enhancing perception, and aiding in decision-making.
Limits of Attention:
- Divided attention (can we pay attention to >1 thing at a time)
- Distractions
- Consequences of inattention
- Change detection
Attention as the Ability to Process Incoming Information:
Attention is essentially our capacity to process incoming information, and it plays a vital role in how we interact with our surroundings and make sense of the world.
Can We Process Unattended Information?
The question of whether we can process unattended information depends on the nature of that information and how it is presented.
Based on Physical Characteristics:
Some aspects of unattended information, particularly physical characteristics, can still be processed to some extent. For example, we might notice changes in brightness, color, or motion in our peripheral vision.
Semantically (Meaning):
Semantically” pertains to the meaning of words, symbols, or elements within a language or communication system. It is related to the interpretation of content in terms of significance and understanding. In the context of cognitive psychology and language, “semantically meaningful information” refers to information that conveys meaning or is related to the content and context of a message or communication.
Summary: Information Processing Models of Attention:
Information processing models of attention have evolved to explain how we allocate and process information in our environment.
Early models, such as those proposed by Broadbent and Treisman, suggested that semantic processing (meaningful understanding) requires attention.
Late selection models, on the other hand, propose that semantic processing does not necessarily require attention. These models vary mainly in where the attention filter is placed in the processing pipeline.
A common method for studying attention and selective processing is the “dichotic listening task.” This task helps researchers bring the complexity of the “cocktail party effect” into the lab setting and examine how people prioritize and process information in noisy or multitasking situations.
Broadbent’s Filter Model of Attention (Cherry, 1953):
Broadbent’s filter model is a classic early model of attention. It was developed to explain how we selectively process information when faced with multiple streams of input.
Dichotic Listening Task:
In the dichotic listening task, different information is presented simultaneously in both ears. Participants are typically asked to focus their attention on one ear and repeat what they hear from that ear.
What Information “Leaks” Through the Unattended Ear:
One key finding from the dichotic listening task is that some information from the unattended ear “leaks” through to our awareness, such as the gender of the speaker. However, the specific content of the voice, including the words spoken, is often not consciously perceived from the unattended ear.
This illustrates our ability to selectively attend to one stream of information while ignoring or filtering out others, a concept known as selective attention.
Quick Background on Memory:
Memory is a multi-stage process that includes various storage systems:
Sensory Store: Information is briefly stored for fractions of a second, typically related to sensory perception (e.g., iconic memory for visual stimuli).
Short-Term Memory (STM): Information can be held for a limited duration, up to about 15 seconds.
Long-Term Memory (LTM): Information can be stored for an extended period, potentially unlimited in time.
Broadbent’s Filter Model of Attention (Broadbent, 1958):
- Sensory Memory: This is the initial stage where all incoming information, both attended and unattended, is temporarily stored for a fraction of a second. It acts as a buffer that holds the sensory input briefly.
- Filter: The filter is a selective mechanism that operates based on specific characteristics such as tone, pitch, speed, and accent. Its primary function is to identify the message that needs to be attended to. The filter’s role is to allow the attended message to pass through for further processing while ignoring everything else.
This selective filtering process is why we are able to report certain characteristics of the unattended ear, like the gender of the speaker, while disregarding the specific content of the unattended message. The filter’s operation helps us focus our limited attentional resources on the most relevant information.
Broadbent’s Filter Model of Attention (Continued):
In Broadbent’s model, after the filter has determined which information to attend to, the attended message proceeds to the “detector.”
Detector: The detector is responsible for processing and determining the content of the attended message. It is where the semantic processing of the attended information occurs.
This processing at the detector level is why we are unable to report the content of the unattended ear. Semantic processing only takes place for the attended information.
The output from the detector, which now contains the processed and understood content of the attended message, is then sent to Short-Term Memory (STM) for further processing or, in some cases, transferred to Long-Term Memory (LTM).
Broadbent’s model is often referred to as an “early selection model” because it excludes unattended information before in-depth semantic processing occurs. This early selection mechanism helps us allocate our limited cognitive resources more efficiently.
Limitation of Broadbent’s Model: The Cocktail Party Effect (Moray, 1959):
One major limitation of Broadbent’s filter model is the observed phenomenon known as the “cocktail party effect.”
In the cocktail party effect, participants in a dichotic listening task sometimes recognize their own name or other personally relevant information presented in the unattended ear. This recognition of personally relevant information in the unattended ear is contrary to what Broadbent’s model would predict, as it suggests that semantic processing is not possible for unattended information.
For example, participants may hear their name in the unattended ear and respond to it, even though it should have been filtered out.
This suggests that attention can sometimes shift involuntarily based on the content of the information, and it challenges the idea that semantic processing is entirely restricted to the attended channel. The cocktail party effect demonstrates that our attention can be captured by meaningful or personally relevant stimuli in the unattended channel, and this phenomenon is not well explained by the early selection mechanisms proposed in Broadbent’s model.
attention presentation 16
