Theories of focused visual attention

Question 1

What are the three theories of focused visual attention

Answer 1

1. Spotlight theory
2. Zoom lens
3. Split Focal attention

Question 2

What do the three theories aim to do

Answer 2

Aim to answer: How do we direct attention in the space and select visual info that is relevant to us

Question 3

Spotlight theory

Answer 3

Posner, 1980

Focused attention is like a spotlight beam that illuminates a particular area of the space

Attentional recourses are allocated to specific locations or objects, enhancing processing for attended stimuli

Question 4

What is the Cueing Paradigm

Answer 4

Posner & Cohen (1984)

Shows how we shift our attention to various locations

Participants look at a screen with a central point to focus on.

1. A cue (like a flash or arrow) appears on one side of the screen, pointing to where a target might appear.
2. After a short delay, a target appears either:

• In the same place as the cue (valid trial),
• or in a different place (invalid trial)
• or with no cue at all (neutral trial).

3. The participant must respond (e.g., by pressing a button) as soon as they see the target.

Question 5

What does the cueing paradigm show (1984)

Answer 5

People are faster to respond when the cue correctly predicts the target’s location (valid trials).

They are slower when the cue misleads them (invalid trials).

This shows evidence for covert attention - attention can be directed to a location even before we move our eyes there

Question 6

Zoom lens model of attention

Answer 6

Eriksen & St James (1986)

In contrast to Spotlight theory, zoom lens argues that attention is more flexible - attention can vary in the width of its focus, zooming in or out depending one task demands or stimulus salience.

Question 7

Split Attention Model / Multiple Spotlight theory

Answer 7

Awh & Pashler (2000)

Attention can be directed to 2 or more distinct locations at the same time

Unlike the spotlight theory, which implies a single focus point, and the zoom lens theory, which suggests a flexible focus width, the split focal theory argues that attention can be distributed across multiple locations or objects simultaneously , without the need to prioritise a single focus point.

Most flexible theory

The brain would save recourses because it would avoid having to process irrelevant and unnecessary areas of visual space in between two relevant areas

Question 8

Comparison: All three theories

Answer 8

All three theories address the allocation of attentional recourses within the visual field

Question 9

Compare and contrast: Spotlight and Zoom Lens

Answer 9

Compare: Both emphasise the selective nature of attention, focusing on specific stimuli or regions

Contrast: Spotlight theory suggests a fixed focus point, while zoom lens theory proposes a flexible focus width

Question 10

Compare and contrast: Zoom Lens and Split Focal

Answer 10

Compare: Both acknowledge the flexibility of attentional focus, either in terms of width (zoom lens) or distribution (split focal)

Contrast: Zoom lens theory focuses on adjusting the width of attentional focus, while split focal theory suggests attention can be divided among multiple points or regions

Question 11

Compare and Contrast: Spotlight and Split Focal

Answer 11

Compare: Both highlight the role of attention in prioritising certain information over others

Contrast: Spotlight theory implies attention is concentrated at a single point, while split focal theory suggests attention can be distributed across multiple points simultaneously