Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is the primary function of Broadbent's Filter Model of Attention?
What is the primary function of Broadbent's Filter Model of Attention?
What does the term 'shadowing' refer to in the context of selective attention?
What does the term 'shadowing' refer to in the context of selective attention?
Which of the following statements is NOT true regarding the results of the dichotic listening task?
Which of the following statements is NOT true regarding the results of the dichotic listening task?
Which model is characterised as an early-selection model of attention?
Which model is characterised as an early-selection model of attention?
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In which aspect does Treisman’s Attenuation Theory differ from Broadbent’s Filter Model?
In which aspect does Treisman’s Attenuation Theory differ from Broadbent’s Filter Model?
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What does the attenuator analyze incoming messages in terms of?
What does the attenuator analyze incoming messages in terms of?
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What is the role of the dictionary unit in Treisman's Attenuation Theory?
What is the role of the dictionary unit in Treisman's Attenuation Theory?
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In Treisman's model, how does the attended message differ from the unattended message?
In Treisman's model, how does the attended message differ from the unattended message?
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What characterizes the late-selection model of attention?
What characterizes the late-selection model of attention?
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Which of the following statements about thresholds in Treisman's model is correct?
Which of the following statements about thresholds in Treisman's model is correct?
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What is the primary finding of MacKay's experiment regarding unattended information?
What is the primary finding of MacKay's experiment regarding unattended information?
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Under which conditions do researchers suggest using the early selection model of attention?
Under which conditions do researchers suggest using the early selection model of attention?
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What is the difference between high-load and low-load tasks?
What is the difference between high-load and low-load tasks?
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In the context of attention models, what does 'task load' refer to?
In the context of attention models, what does 'task load' refer to?
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Which of the following statements about early and late-selection models is true?
Which of the following statements about early and late-selection models is true?
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What is one factor that can influence the ability to divide attention?
What is one factor that can influence the ability to divide attention?
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Which combination of tasks is generally considered difficult to perform simultaneously?
Which combination of tasks is generally considered difficult to perform simultaneously?
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According to research, what can lead to better performance in tasks requiring divided attention?
According to research, what can lead to better performance in tasks requiring divided attention?
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What aspect of a task does NOT affect the ability to divide attention?
What aspect of a task does NOT affect the ability to divide attention?
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Which model of attention suggests that both attended and some unattended tasks can be processed simultaneously?
Which model of attention suggests that both attended and some unattended tasks can be processed simultaneously?
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Study Notes
Attention (Part 1)
- Attention is concentrating on specific aspects of the environment or thoughts.
- Selective attention filters out other features.
- Limited capacity and timing.
- Over and covert attention, both conscious and involuntary.
- Attention is involved in perception (auditory, visual), memory, language, and problem-solving.
Selective Attention
- Difficult to focus on multiple simultaneous messages.
- Experiments demonstrate this difficulty.
- Cherry (1953) - Participants shadowed one message (Dichotic listening task).
- They could detect superficial details (e.g., gender of speaker) but not meaning of unattended message.
Theories of Selective Attention
- Broadbent's Filter Model (Early selection): filters messages based on physical characteristics (e.g., pitch).
- Treisman's Attenuation Theory (Intermediate selection): filters messages based on important features like meaning.
- Late selection models (e.g., McKay, 1973): filters based on meaning and importance (analysis occurs after filtering).
Broadbent's Filter Model
- Early selection model
- Sensory store holds information for a short time.
- Filter separates important message based on physical features.
- Detector processes attended message.
Problems with Broadbent's Theory
- Research suggests unattended material is processed to some extent, even if not fully aware.
Treisman's Attenuation Theory
- Attenuator analyzes messages based on physical characteristics, language, and meaning.
- Attended message passes through completely.
- Unattended messages are attenuated (weakened).
- Dictionary unit contains words with different thresholds (strength of signal needed).
- Important words (e.g., your name) have low thresholds.
Late-Selection Model
- Processing for both attended and unattended messages occurs.
- Meaning of unattended messages may influence response to attended messages (MacKay 1973).
Divided Attention
- Ability to focus on multiple tasks at the same time.
- Depends on skill, task difficulty, and type of tasks.
- Skill in a task improves divided attention ability.
- Difficult tasks reduce divided attention abilities.
Effect of Practice
- Skill improves performance with practice. (Schneider & Shiffrin 1977)
- Tasks become automatic after practice; these tasks use fewer cognitive resources.
Effect on Task Difficulty
- Difficult tasks are hard to perform while performing other tasks. Reduced performance.
Task Type
- Different task types affect divided attention.
Visual Attention
- Spotlight or zoom lens models.
- Attention spreads (or narrows)
- Object-based attention: attention given to an object.
- Change blindness: missing changes in a scene because of failure to pay attention.
Models for Visual Attention
- Spotlight model: attention is focused like a spotlight.
- Zoom lens model: size of attention can adjust.
- Object-based model: attention stays on an object independently of location.
Evidence from Brain Damaged Patients
- Evidence comes from people (patients) with unilateral neglect (where they fail to fully process one side, often left).
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Description
Explore the fascinating world of attention in this quiz, which delves into selective attention and its theories. Understand the difference between over and covert attention, as well as the experiments that illustrate our limitations in focusing on multiple stimuli. Test your knowledge of key models such as Broadbent's Filter Model and Treisman's Attenuation Theory.
