Chapter 8 Paying Attention

Question 1

Attention

Answer 1

A cognitive process involving the selection of information for further processing, such as the extraction of meaning

Question 2

Limited capacity channel

Answer 2

A channel through which is filtered and attended-to Information passes for further processing, such as storage in memory. It is ‘limited’ as regards the amount of information it can deal with at any one time

Question 3

Information processing model

Answer 3

A hypothetical model depicting how information taken in by the senses might be processed in the brain

Question 4

Dichotic listening

Answer 4

When two different messages are presented simultaneously, one to eat each

Question 5

Hypothesis

Answer 5

A prediction statement that is tested in an experiment or correlational study

Question 6

Theory

Answer 6

A set of propositions about a psychological phenomenon (eg attention) that forms the basis of a testable explanation

Question 7

Cycle of enquiry

Answer 7

The way in which the questions that research addresses are often derived from theories or explanations, and the findings of that research then generate new questions or refinements to theory or explanation

Question 8

Controlled attention

Answer 8

The conscious allocation of resources to the processing of specific stimuli

Question 9

Automatic processing

Answer 9

The automatic processing of stimuli that occurs without conscious awareness

Question 10

Top-down processes

Answer 10

When experience, expectations and/or stored knowledge influence the allocation of resources to certain stimuli