W12.1: Attention & Awareness Flashcards
Attention and its significance
Attention is the process of focuing consicous awareness, providing heightended sensivity to a limited range of experiece requiring more extecsive information processing
Because there are way more information in the world that what we can process at a given time, attention enables:
* Selection of specific subset of information
* Allows information to be broken down into chunks, to be more digestible and manageable
General model of attetion
Attention is proposed to be the gate between sensory memory processing and working memory process –> attention is the selector stage
- All sensory inputs enter the sensory memory store, where it is processed preattentively
- Some one the info is selected to pass through the gate into the working memory processing (the consious, attentive processing) –> some info reaches our consciousness
Preattentive vs Attentive processing
Preattentive processing:
* Noticing anything that stands out immediately.
* E.g. certain basic features (colour, orientation)
Attentive processing:
* Closely observing and searching though an item to recognize particular features
* E.g. Where’s Wally
Preattentive processing characteristics
Occurs prior to the actual selection of the stimlulus for processing
Attentive processing characteristics
- Used in conjuction search –> requires attention
- Slow and serial –> as the brain can only process a little bit of information at a time
Anne Triesman’s visual pop out
Occurs when a target is defined by a single perceptual feature
e.g. colour, orientation
Can only be experience with preattentive processing
Anne Triesman’s feature intergration theory
- Certain basic features are processed quickly (e.g. colour, orientaion) –> only experienced with preattentive processing
- Conjuction search uses attentive processing –> requires attention
- Attentive processing is slow and serial –> brain can only process a little bit of information at a time
Broadbent’s filter model
Filter model of attention
- Attention restricts infromation available for further processing ( the dichotic listening task) –> basically suggesting that the unattended message is anihilated
- Information selected based on physical characterisitics (this is preattentive processing feature)
- Characterised as an early selection theory –> because certain information is selected at very early stages of information processing
The dichotic listening task
- Participants listened to two different messages simultaneously through different headphones or speakers
- Required to attend to one message and ignore the other
- Successfully recall the attended messages, but unable to remember details of the unattended one
- Were unable to report changes in language or message direction (forward, backward)
- However, noticed change in speaker voice (male to female) –> because it’s a distictive feature (a pop out)
Problems with Boradbent’s filter model of attention
Personal relevance:
* Hearing one’s own name automatically grabs attention, even in a selective attention scenario
* Cocktail party phenomenon
* Depite focusing on someone, atteion shifts when hearing one’s own name in a crowded environment
Semantic consideration:
* Preattentive semantic analysis:
* People engage in semantic processing of both attended and unatteneded information
* Suggests that information can be selected on the basis of non physical/sensory features
Anne Treisman’s Attenuation Theory
Attention attenuating unattended channels, not a complete filter
Lets unattended info go through, albeit at a weaker level of processing –> allow important isignals to get through (e.g. shouts of fire, cries for help)
Attenuation can be adjusted based on the immediate context of the indiviual’s goals –> selects relevant information for semantic coherence
Attention is not solely determined by the physical characteristics of the stimulus –> semantic processing can occur preattentively (e.g. the cocktail party phenomenon)
Early selection vs Late selection
Early selection:
* E.g. Broadbent filter model of attention
* Unattended info is completely eliminated before consicous processing
* Attention can filter information based on phsycial features (e.g. colour, motion, spatial location)
Late selection:
* All inputs (attedend and unattended) is processed preattentively, then gets filter based on relevant of meaning to the ongoing task
* Triesman attenuation is not a late selection, rather an intermediate
Kahneman, 1973
Capacity theory of attention
Attention is a mental effort, not a filter
Different tasks require differnt amounts of mental effort
* Demanding task: controlled processing, requires attention (e.g. driving)
* Undemanding attention: automatic processing, requires no attentive effort (e.g. typing)
With extensive practive, demanding tasks can become more ‘automatic’ –> to a certain extent ofc (e.g. reading)
Desimone & Duncan, 1995)
Biased competition model of attention
Neurally based theory, processing of relevant info is enhanced, irrelevant info is inhibited
Uses bottom up and top down attention selection to understand how the brain selects relevant info from multitude of stimuli
Top down vs bottom up attention
Top down selection:
* Internally guided: driven by factos such as prior knowledge, and current goals
* Consicous control: voluntary action, based on individual’s intentions
* Goal oriented: algned with specific tasks, goals (e.g. where’s Wally, finding keys on a cluttered desk)
Bottom up selection
* Externally driven: guided by inherently sailient stimuli
* No prior knowledge: attention is captured without conscious control or prior awareness
* Stimulus driven: response to conspicuous or sudden stimuli, irrespective of individual’s intentions or goals (e.g. a flash of light, loud noise)
