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Attentional capacity models: resource theories - Coggle Diagram
Attentional capacity models: resource theories
Explored with dual task paradigms
compare individual task performance to dual task performance
allows us to measure how much of an effect dual tasking has
Kahneman's central capacity theory
alertness influences our capacity
difficult tasks will mean dual tasking sacrifices some quality.
difficulty does influence how well a task is done
the pool of resources influenced by alertness and possibly stimulants is put through a allocation policy which is where the amount of resources needed is assessed
amount handed out influenced by the amount of attention available and so called enduring dispositions which is a complicated way of aluding to personal things like if you need to know something or something is of great importance to you
also influenced volitionally by top down control.
once attention is given we assess this to see if we need to amend any amounts.
It is more about the size of the attention pool rather than a number of tasks
although ti could be a case of switching between the tasks and not doing them simultaneously
Evidence for this
Sullivan (1976)
When making the main shadowing task more difficult the Ps start to miss the secondary task. Shows how attention is divvied up according to importance.
Bourke, Duncan and Nimo Smith
4 different types of task.
Tone discrimination, random letter generation, a motor task and visual recognition.
Greatest interference letter generation and the least was the tone discrimination
results can be explained by the complexity or difficulty of the tasks
Wilkens' multiple resource model
many resource pools with their own capacity
if too much is drained from a pool performance may drop
dual task performance depends on how similar the tasks are.
similar input, similar output, processing similarity
it may be easy to watch the raid and listen to the radio as they draw attention from two different places
Evidence
Input phase backed up by Triesman and Davies (1973)
tested the idea that input from two different streams was the best combination.
that was found here
The processing stage- Brooks (1968)
processing a word relying on verbal processing meant that when they had to give a verbal response it was the slowest. Resource pool in processing.
Output stage
Mcleod (1977)
dual task- object training task with motor output alongside a tone identification task with a verbal output
they use a verbal output or a motor output
The worst performance was when they used a motor output for their response as they already used it in the initial tracking task.
Driving and attention
Strayer and Johnston (2001)
failed to support Wickens
Worse on the phone vs radio
but talking and driving are from different pools
4 condition. Driving and on phone, Just drive, Drive and shadow talk on mobile and drive while listening to the radio.
red lights missed counted
and brake reaction time
Do attention theories hold up to scrutiny?
Measuring the ability to quickly deploy attention from a single system. Not a theory of attention itself.
too many pools and too many clashing tasks