Chapter 6 - Perception and attention

Question 1

Sensation

Answer 1

The initial detection, by our senses, of stimuli in the world.

Question 2

Perception

Answer 2

The end result of the processing and modification of sensory information by the internal cognitive processes of the individual.

Question 3

Attention

Answer 3

A selection process that operates between what is sensed and what is perceived.

Question 4

Information processing approach

Answer 4

An approach that likens cognitive processes (attention, perception, etc.) to the workings of a computer: moving, storing and transforming information.

Question 5

Neuroscience

Answer 5

A field of study that considers the workings of the brain.

Question 6

Cognitive neuroscience

Answer 6

A field of study that considers the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive processes.

Question 7

Conscious perception

Answer 7

The conscious awareness of some aspect(s) of the environment as a result of the integration of filtered sensory information with stored knowledge.

Question 8

Unconscious perception

Answer 8

The result of sensory information processed automatically below the level of conscious awareness but still capable of influencing how we react and behave.

Question 9

Bottom-up information

Answer 9

Information about the world that flows ‘up’ from the senses.

Question 10

Top-down information

Answer 10

Information flowing ‘down’ from stored knowledge which can influence the interpretation of sensory information.

Question 11

Limited-capacity central processor

Answer 11

A hypothetical construct used to explain why it is not possible to process all incoming information simultaneously.

Question 12

Dual-task studies

Answer 12

Studies that look at how different pairs of tasks interact when a participant attempts to perform both tasks of the pair at the same time.

Question 13

Response time

Answer 13

A measure of how quickly a participant can make a response to a certain stimulus.

Question 14

Multiple-resource theories of attention

Answer 14

Theories that suggest that different pools of resources are available for different types of tasks as opposed to all tasks drawing on a single central pool of resources.

Question 15

Attentional spotlight

Answer 15

A metaphor for allocation of attention. Whatever falls within the attentional spotlight receives relatively more processing.

Question 16

Visual field

Answer 16

The area of the environment that could potentially be seen by an individual at any one moment.

Question 17

Selective attention

Answer 17

A conscious cognitive process controlling allocation of attention, over which we have control and involving cognitive processes such as expectancy.

Question 18

Attentional tunnelling

Answer 18

Occurs when attention is ‘tunnelled’ onto a relatively narrow region, and anything happening outside that region is likely to receive little or no processing.

Question 19

Stimulus-induced shifts of attention

Answer 19

Shifts of attention over which we have no conscious control and which are driven by something in the environment.

Question 20

Endogenous system

Answer 20

The direction of responses (for example, the allocation of attention) by internal processes (motivation, intentions, etc).

Question 21

Exogenous system

Answer 21

The direction of responses (for example, the allocation of attention) by external factors (salient stimuli, etc).

Question 22

Bottleneck theory of attention

Answer 22

Theory that suggests a ‘bottleneck’ in the attentional system such that only a small amount of the available sensory information can pass through.

Question 23

Controlled processes

Answer 23

Those mental processes over which we can exert conscious control.

Question 24

Automatic processes

Answer 24

Those mental processes that cannot be consciously controlled.

Question 25

Two-process theories

Answer 25

These theories suggest that automatic and controlled processes operate simultaneously, the balance between the two depending upon the situation.

Question 26

Cognitive neuropsychology

Answer 26

Attempts to gain insight into cognitive processes by studying the effects of brain trauma (lesion, disease, etc).

Question 27

Agnosia

Answer 27

The inability to recognise objects despite normal sensory input.

Question 28

Unilateral spatial neglect

Answer 28

A tendency to ignore one side of the visual field or one side of an object – despite normal sensory input.

Question 29

Constructivist theory of perception

Answer 29

The notion that perception is ‘built’ from incomplete sensory data with the aid of stored knowledge.

Question 30

Perceptual hypotheses

Answer 30

Stages in an iterative process of combining incomplete sensory information with stored knowledge to arrive at a hypothesis (best guess) of what the individual is perceiving.

Question 31

Size constancy

Answer 31

The awareness that the actual size of a stimulus remains constant despite changes in the size of the retinal image (e.g. when the stimulus moves away).

Question 32

Perceptual compromise

Answer 32

The influence of the whole of a figure on attempts to make judgements about any part of it.

Question 33

Direct perception

Answer 33

Perception without the need for integration with stored knowledge.

Question 34

Phenomenological experience

Answer 34

An individual’s unique experience of perception of the world.

Question 35

Figure (Figure or ground)

Answer 35

Reference to the object of interest in a scene, as opposed to the ‘ground’.

Question 36

Ground (Figure or ground)

Answer 36

Reference to the background, made up of all parts of the scene (apart from the figure), and against which the figure is set.

Question 37

Gestalt psychology

Answer 37

A branch of psychology that emphasises the importance of identifying whole objects within a scene as an essential part of perception.

Question 38

Sensory conspicuity

Answer 38

The likelihood that an object will be detected based on its intrinsic properties registered by the senses, such as shape, colour, brightness.

Question 39

Attention conspicuity

Answer 39

The likelihood that an object will draw attention to itself.

Question 40

Visual search

Answer 40

The task of picking out a particular target item from a number of irrelevant (distractor) items.

Question 41

Vigilance

Answer 41

The task of monitoring over a period of time for the appearance of a target item.

Question 42

Simulation

Answer 42

The attempt to mimic, as closely as possible in a controlled setting, a real-world situation.

Question 43

Perceived risk

Answer 43

The level of risk that an individual believes they are exposed to.

Question 44

Risk homeostasis

Answer 44

The modification of behaviour to maintain perceived risk at a constant level.