8) Attention III

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Questions and Answers

What is a primary methodological problem related to subliminal stimuli?

Response bias may affect whether a subject thinks they have seen the stimulus. (correct)

Participants always show high levels of motivation in tasks.

Clear identification of stimuli is always achieved.

Subjects may claim they have seen a stimulus when they haven't.

How could participant motivation impact subliminal stimulus identification?

Higher motivation always guarantees accurate identification.

Participants are more likely to detect subliminal stimuli when bored.

Motivated participants cannot recognize subliminal stimuli.

Lack of motivation may lead to decreased performance in difficult tasks. (correct)

In the context of subliminal stimuli, what is a significant issue with response bias?

It indicates subjects are highly motivated to identify stimuli.

Subjects report higher certainty than they actually possess.

It ensures subjects identify all stimuli accurately.

It can lead to false negatives where stimuli may be seen but unreported. (correct)

What do Newell & Shanks discuss regarding unconscious influences?

They examine various methodological problems including those about subliminal stimuli. Signup and view all the answers

Which resource is recommended for exam revision on the topic of attention?

The latest edition of Eysenck & Keane. Signup and view all the answers

What is a condition that makes change blindness more likely?

Temporary occlusion Signup and view all the answers

How does change blindness differ from inattentional blindness?

Change blindness requires comparison of scenes to detect changes. Signup and view all the answers

What does not contribute to change blindness according to the information provided?

Direct attention to the changing element Signup and view all the answers

Which term describes stimuli that are not consciously perceived?

Subliminal Signup and view all the answers

Which example illustrates inattentional blindness effectively?

Failing to see a gorilla among people passing a basketball. Signup and view all the answers

What element of change blindness allows us to perceive stimuli but not remember them?

Late selection Signup and view all the answers

What experimental technique did James Vicary claim to have used for subliminal advertising?

Brief image presentations Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus in studies involving change blindness and their implications?

Understanding attention limitations. Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of participants noticed the gorilla in the Simons & Chabris study?

42% Signup and view all the answers

In the study involving a unicycling clown, which group had the highest percentage of participants noticing the clown?

Music player users Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about inattentional blindness is correct?

It is the failure to notice unexpected stimuli in plain sight. Signup and view all the answers

What difficulty is associated with measuring subliminal perception?

The lack of clear, observable changes in behavior. Signup and view all the answers

What was a significant concern regarding the research conducted by James Vicary?

It was based on a limited amount of data. Signup and view all the answers

Which example illustrates real-world inattentional blindness?

Expert radiologists often miss anomalies in CT scans. Signup and view all the answers

What type of misconduct is associated with Diederik Stapel?

Data manipulation and fabrication. Signup and view all the answers

In the research by Hyman et al. regarding the clown, what was the percentage of cell phone users who noticed anything unusual?

8% Signup and view all the answers

After what year is it likely that Diederik Stapel began manipulating data?

2004 Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the primary findings from the studies on inattentional blindness?

Selective attention creates gaps in awareness. Signup and view all the answers

What should one be cautious of in academic research according to the content?

Studies that yield surprisingly high effect sizes. Signup and view all the answers

Change blindness differs from inattentional blindness in that it primarily relates to:

Failure to notice changes in a visual scene. Signup and view all the answers

What was the primary finding from Karremans et al. (2006) regarding subliminal priming?

Subliminal priming increases choice for Lipton Ice Tea. Signup and view all the answers

In the experiments by Karremans et al. (2006), how long were the prime words presented?

23 milliseconds Signup and view all the answers

What was a limitation noted about the findings from Karremans et al. (2006)?

There was an absence of direct replication studies. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements best describes the prevalence of outright data manipulation in academia?

It is considered rare but noteworthy when it occurs. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Cognitive Psychology 1: Limits of Attention

Attention is capacity limited and selective.
Unattended/irrelevant information is usually not processed.
Evidence suggests unattended information can sometimes influence attention.

Today's Lecture: Learning Objectives

Describe change blindness and inattentional blindness.
Explain the similarities and differences between change and inattentional blindness.
Understand the difficulties in measuring subliminal perception.

Inattentional Blindness

Simons & Chabris (1999), Simons (2010) - Research on inattentional blindness.

'Gorillas in our midst'

Simons & Chabris (1999) study: Participants were shown a video of two teams passing a basketball. A person in a gorilla suit walked through the teams.
A significant percentage of participants failed to notice the gorilla. White team passing: 42%, black team passing: 83%.

The Unicycling Clown

Hyman et al (2010) - Participants crossed a square at Western Washington University and passed a unicycling clown.
After crossing the square they were asked if they noticed anything unusual and if they noticed the clown.
Different groups (cell phone users, single persons, music player users and pairs) had varying results.
- Music players: 32% noticed something unusual, 61% noticed the clown.
- Cell phones: 8% noticed something unusual, 25% noticed the clown.

"Real-World" Examples of Inattentional Blindness

Chabris & Simons (2010): A person commented that they did not notice the bicyclist, which appeared to suddenly appear.
Drew, Vo, & Wolfe (2013): Expert radiologists may miss anomalies in CT scans, even when looking directly at them.

Change Blindness

The difficulty in detecting changes in a scene/image.
Examples: 'Whodunnit' and examples on slides 10 and 11 (airplane/farmhouse image)
"Door" study (the procedure of briefly switching out images) and the associated conditions.

Limits to Change Blindness

Certain conditions increase change blindness.
Empty frames between images, temporary occlusions, and slow changes are some examples.
Simons & Rensink (2005) is a good overview.

Change Blindness and Inattentional Blindness

Common thread: Both types of blindness arise due to lack of attention.
Early selection: The stimulus never gets processed.
Late selection: The stimulus is perceived but might not be remembered.

Change Blindness vs. Inattentional Blindness

Change blindness: Comparing two images / pictures / movies in terms of specific items.
Inattentional blindness: Something unexpected or unusual is presented during a task; participants did not explicitly look at that specific thing.

Subliminal Influences on Behaviour

Subliminal: Below the threshold of awareness.
Prime: Very briefly presented stimulus, usually masked.
Limen is a threshold.

The Case of James Vicary

Claimed to use subliminal advertising to boost sales of Coke and popcorn.
Data from interviews were suspect.

The Case of Diederik Stapel

Renowned Dutch professor fabricated data in over fifty publications.
Was suspended in 2011.
Fraud in academic research already started in 2004.

Fraud in Academia

Outright data manipulation/fabrication is often rare.
Recognize "too good to be true" results or implausibly high effect sizes.

Recent Claims of Successful Subliminal Priming

Karremans et al (2006): Subliminal priming with "Lipton Ice" increased the choice of that specific drink.
Difficulty replicating the original studies.

Methodological Problems

Difficult to prove subliminal stimuli are actually below a threshold.
Response bias: Participants might partly see the stimulus/prime but deny seeing it.
Motivation for the task: Prime identification tasks can demotivate participants.

Exam Revision

Review lecture slides.
Review Eysenck & Keane (8th edition), Chapters 4 and 5.
Focus on key facts and concepts; avoid unnecessary detail.

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Description

Explore the fascinating limits of attention in cognitive psychology through key concepts like change blindness and inattentional blindness. This quiz will delve into research findings, including the famous 'Gorillas in our midst' study by Simons & Chabris. Test your understanding of how attention shapes perception and the implications of these phenomena.