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COGNITION: THE VARIETIES OF ATTENTION (Selective Attention (Early…
COGNITION: THE VARIETIES OF ATTENTION
What is Attention?
Paschler
: no one knows what Attention is
Anderson
: There is no such thing as Attention
William James
: Everyone knows what Attention is
Modern Definition:
Attention = processes we use to monitor info
Flexible
Voluntary
Limited
Components of Attention
Bottom-up
Attentional Competition
Stimuli guides attention
Automatic
Attention
Arousal Mechanisms
Alerting Attention
Awareness
Top-Down
Attentional Modulation
Observer guides attention
Controlled
Attention
Controlled Attention
Selective Attention
Sustained Attention
Divided Attention
Selective Attention
Early Selection
Boradbent
Filter = Perceptual Analysis
Dichotic Listening tasks
Shadowing Task
(unattended info is not processed for meaning)
Top-down
Filter or Bottleneck Models of Attenuation
Treisman's Attenuation Theory
Filter attenuates unattended info (not an on/off version)
Evidence
against
this theory:
hear word and receive shock --> skin conductance on dichotic listening when unattended word = the one with shock
Space vs. Object
Spotlight Theory
Object Attention
Late Selection:
Filter = Semantic Analysis
Stroop Task
Limits of Attention
Attentional Blink
selecting attention does not guarantee awareness
Attention is limited by processing time
Attentional Capture
exogenous shift
Meaningful stimuli: faces & bodies
Go/No-go task
Inatentional Blindness
consequence of selective attention
Characteristics
fail to notice an event
due to selective attention
object's fully-visible
unexpected
Task with 'armpit'
even though people aren't attending stimuli, it may influence behavior
Deja-vu:
result of
implicit priming and intentional blindness
can be associated with epilepsy
Cocktail Party Effect
Controlled vs. Automatic Processes
Automatic:
Passive
Bottom-up
Stimulus Driven
Involuntary
Hypnosis
Can eliminate Stroop Effect
Controlled:
Active
Top-Down
Goal-Directed
Voluntary
.
Load Theory
- Resolving the 'filter' debate: filter will occur at diff. points in the processing pipeline depending on the TASK DEMANDS.
Different Perceptual Loads
1) Difficult task with a high load
Attention selected Early (like Early Selection Filter)
Processing all info perceptually will exceed capacity
Focused attention --> not distracted
Gorilla task
2) Easier task with a low load
Attention selected Later (like Late Selection Filter)
Processing all info is within capacity
Process irrelevant information --> may be distracted
Capacity Models of Load Theory
Central Resources
One resource pool from which all attention resources are allocated
Same pool for: visual, auditory, taste, etc.
Attention = Cognitive Effort
Driving Simulator Task
Low load: no radio = noticed visual element
High load: radio = didn't notice visual element
= interference between auditory and visual attention
Multiple Resources Capacity:
Multiple resource pools
Diff attentional ressources for vison, auditory, etc.
PET scan, auditory load and visual info on a screen
Visual info processing isn't affected by attentional demands of an auditory task
Attention Disorders
Hemispatial/Unilateral Neglect
damage to parietal lobe
more severe if damage on
right
side
Brain Mechanisms of Attention
Executive Control Networks
:
Domain-general attentional processes
Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC)
selecting task relevant information
Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC)
focusing attention
mediating response selection
Alerting Network
:
Reticular Activating System
(Brainstem)
maintains arousal and wakefulness
Damage can lead to coma
Measuring Visual Attention
Feature Integration: Theory of Attention
Different Phases of Attention
Pre-Attention
:
phase in which different visual features are coded in parallel in separate feature maps automatically
Focused Attention
:
phase when we have to integrate features to guide a search
Visual Search Tasks
Feature Search
:
search for object that is diff from the distractors based on ONE feature
Bottom-Up: Exogenous, Reflexive
Pre-Attention phase
Size of set size doesn't seem to affect reaction time
Conjunction Search
:
search for an object that is diff from the distractors on a CONJUNCTION of features
Top down, Endogenous, Voluntary
Focused attention phase
Bigger Display Set Size = longer reaction time
Eye-Tracking
Overt
Visual Attention:
with eye-movement
Face and Scenes
Covert
Visual Attention:
without eye-movement
Spotlight theory of Attention
Posner's Spatial Cueing Task
Short SOA: short delay btw cue and target = fast valid and slow invalid
Long Delay = slow valid, fast invalid
Novelty Seeking
Sustained Attention
Sustained Attentional Response Task (SART)
series of number presented = respond to every number except 4
Vigilance Decrement:
a decrease in performance as a FUNCTION of time
Lectures example
Overload
: high attentional demands over time
Underload
: boredom --> mind-wondering --> divided attention
Divided Attention: Task Switching
Task-Switching:
changing from working on 1 task to working on another
switching btw mental sets
Top-Down --> organize into based on goals of a task
Task-Switching Paradigm
Switch
cost
: performance declined
immediately
cause cognitive system has to be '
re-set
' to engage the correct behavior
Mind-Wandering:
can act like 'dual-task' = shift in mental resources away from task and TOWARDS internal thoughts
Benefits:
Future Thinking
Creative Thinking
Relief from Boredom