PSYU2239 - Attention

Question 1

How do we follow one conversation at a noisy party, aka cocktail party problem (Problem, not effect)?

Answer 1

Selective attention

Question 2

Cocktail Party Effect - Describe dichotic listening task

Answer 2

Subjects asked to shadow (repeat back) message on one ear and ignore the other

Question 3

Describe Cherry’s (1953) findings about dichotic listening task

Answer 3

Physical characteristics of the unattended ear is identified, but semantic content is not processed
- Male/Female
- Loud/Soft voice
- High/Low voice

Question 4

Describe Moray’s (1959) findings about dichotic listening task

Answer 4

Meaning also not processed in the unattended ear, but name is detected

Question 5

What is the phenomenon called from findings derived from Moray’s findings?

Answer 5

Cocktail party phenomenon/Identification paradox

Question 6

What does the bottleneck models all assume?

Answer 6

• Multistore model of memory architecture
• Information transferred from sensory store to STM

Question 7

Broadbent’s Filter Model
1. Bottleneck as a _____ filter
2. If input is blocked by filter, ______ is processed; if input isn’t blocked by filter, ___ is processed
3. Selective filter to prevent overloading of ______

Answer 7

1. All-or-none
2. Physical characteristics; semantic content
3. Limited capacity STM store

Question 8

Treisman’s attenuation model
1. What is the keyword in this model?
2. What does the model oppose against Broadbent’s filter model?
3. What kind of stimuli have lower threshold?

Answer 8

1. Attenuator - turns down processing of unattended information
2. Bottleneck is not all-or-none; it’s the degree of processing
3. Context-appropriate stimuli (Meaningful context - like name)

Question 9

Why does own name have low threshold, according to Treisman’s attenuator model?

Answer 9

It has high salience (personal meaning)

Question 10

Deutsch x2 Model
1. Assumes that information is analysed _____ (physical, semantic), even in unattended message
2. Bottleneck is ___ : ____ for action

Answer 10

1. Fully
2. Late; Selection

Question 11

[Battle between early vs late selection - Treisman vs Deutsch]
Describe the procedure of Treisman & Riley’s (1969) experiment

Answer 11

1. Ss presented two messages to two ears
2. Shadow one message, while responding to target word in either ear by tapping

Question 12

What did Deutsch x2 argue about the findings about Treisman and Riley’s experiment?

Answer 12

Unattended message has lower target detection because Ss has to do two tasks - shadowing and tapping
Ss are required to prioritise shadowing, hence detection on unattended ear is lower although meaning is fully processed in both ears

Question 13

Assumption of flexible bottleneck view

Answer 13

Unattended message not always processed fully to the level of meaning

Question 14

Procedure of Johnston & Wilson’s (1980) experiment

Answer 14

1. Ss presented with a list of words dichotically
2. Instructed to detect a target - member of a semantic category
3. Non-target presented simultaneously with target (can be either ear)
4. Critical targets - ambiguous meaning (Organ)
5. Interpretation biased by non-target (Church - Organ; River - Organ; Liver - Organ)

Question 15

IV & DV of flexible bottleneck view

Answer 15

IV: Types of non-target; conditions
Appropriate, Neutral, Inappropriate
Focused attention; Divided attention

DV: % of target detected

Question 16

Discuss the findings of Johnston & Wilson’s experiment

Answer 16

In focused attention condition, no effect of type of non-target on target detection
In divided attention condition, appropriate > neutral > inappropriate

Question 17

What are the differences between early and late selection results based on Flexible bottleneck view results?

Answer 17

Bottleneck is flexible.
Early selection during focused attention trial - words are still processed to a certain degree but has no effect on DV

Late selection: Meaning of non-target was fully processed in divided attention trial

Question 18

What does flexible bottleneck view suggests?
More stages of processing (____ -> ____), the _____ the demands on _____ capacity

Selection occurs as ____ in processing stages as possible to _____ __(same answer as above)_ demands

Answer 18

Physical; Semantic
Greater
Attentional

Early
Minimise; attentional

Question 19

What determines dual task performance

Answer 19

Task Similarity
Practice

Question 20

Two similarity factors affecting dual task performance; give examples

Answer 20

Stimulus modality - type of sensory input
- Looking at your phone (visual) while driving (Visual) > listening to music (auditory) while driving (visual)

Response modality - type of response or action needed to take
- Sending text interferes with driving more than talking on the phone

Question 21

Characteristics of automaticity

Answer 21

1. Fast
2. Little attentional capacity
3. Inflexible
4. Unavoidable
5. Unavailable to consciousness

FLIUU
Fast Lyvia Is Unavoidable to Unconscious

Question 25

Automaticity is associated with the gradual reduction of ___ ___

Answer 25

Attentional resources

Question 26

What does Logan's instance theory assume about automaticity?

Answer 26

It is memory retrieval

Question 27

What is "instance representation" in Logan's instance theory?

Answer 27

Each encounter with a stimulus is encoded, stored, and retrieved separately as a memory episode