Psychology Chapter on Attention and Driving

A visual pathway that processes visual information without conscious awareness, enabling responses to stimuli even in the absence of conscious perception.

The inability to perceive a fully visible object when attention is directed elsewhere. This highlights the limited nature of our attentional capacity.

A state of heightened alertness, characterized by scanning the environment but without focusing on any particular stimulus. It's a general readiness to respond to changes.

The process of focusing on specific stimuli while ignoring others, allowing us to allocate limited cognitive resources effectively.

A state of active conscious awareness, encompassing thoughts, perceptions, and mental imagery. It's our conscious experience of the world and ourselves.

The act of directing limited mental resources towards specific stimuli, enabling focus and processing of relevant information.

The phenomenon where an individual's cognitive abilities are negatively affected by the demands of multitasking, particularly when engaging in tasks that require visual attention.

A condition resulting from damage to the visual cortex, characterized by complete blindness but the ability to exhibit some visual responses without conscious awareness.

The tendency to be slower and make more mistakes when naming the color of ink a color word is written in, if the word meaning and ink color don't match. This happens because the automatic process of reading interferes with the task.

A classic psychological experiment where participants are asked to name the color of the ink that a color word is written in. This test reveals how automatic processes, like reading, can interfere with tasks requiring attention.

Cognitive processes that occur without the need for conscious attention, like reading, typing, or driving.

An example of covert attention, where a player passes the ball to a teammate without directly looking at them.

When our attention is aligned with where we are looking. For example, when we look directly at an object, our attention is directed toward it.

When our attention is directed to a location without moving our gaze. Imagine looking straight ahead but focusing on something to the side.

The central part of the retina that provides the clearest vision. We direct our gaze toward important stimuli to gather more detailed information.

Quick eye movements we make to scan a scene, allowing us to gather information from different areas.

A model of attention that suggests that attention works like a spotlight, focusing on a specific region in space, allowing us to process information more efficiently within that area.

The phenomenon where we are less efficient at processing information outside of the area our attention is focused on.

The faster response time when the target stimulus appears in a location that is part of the same object as the previously cued location, even if the target is not exactly where the cue was directed.

The ability to focus on a specific location or object, making it easier to process information within that area while ignoring distractions.

The ability of our attentional spotlight to move more efficiently within the boundaries of a single object, making it easier to shift attention between locations within that object.

The slower response time when the target stimulus appears in a location that is not on the same object as the previously cued location, even if the target is equidistant from the cue.

The network in the brain responsible for top-down, voluntary direction of attention.

The ability to suppress distracting stimuli and focus on a specific task.

The ability to shift attention between multiple stimuli or tasks.

A network in the brain associated with quickly shifting attention to a perceived stimulus.

The area in the brain responsible for processing visual information.

Attention influences the way our brain processes visual information, affecting the efficiency of perception.

Brain activity changes when we focus our attention, even on simple tasks like identifying visual stimuli.

The number of complete sound wave cycles per second. Measured in Hertz (Hz).

The distance between two corresponding points on a sound wave, like two crests or two troughs.

Our perception of how high or low a sound is. Determined by the frequency of the sound wave.

The size of the peaks and troughs in a sound wave, relative to normal air pressure. Determines how loud or quiet a sound is perceived.

A smooth, regular waveform with a single frequency. Perceived as a pure tone.

A sound wave with multiple frequencies, creating a richer, more complex sound.

The quality of a sound that allows us to distinguish between different sound sources, even with the same pitch.

A logarithmic scale used to measure sound levels. A 10 decibel increase means a 10-fold increase in sound power.

The ability of a material to transmit sound waves. This is why you can hear someone knocking on a door, even though you aren't physically touching it.

The process of shifting sounds downward in pitch to stimulate functional regions of the cochlea, commonly used in advanced hearing aids for severe hearing loss.

A device for people with profound hearing loss that directly stimulates the auditory nerve, bypassing damaged parts of the ear.

The ability of cochlear implants to restore functional sound perception, allowing individuals to hear sound again, even without the natural frequency organization of the cochlea.

Young children who receive cochlear implants early in life can achieve normal language comprehension skills within a short period.

Cochlear implants have become increasingly common and are used in a wider range of individuals, improving language and communication for many.