Psychology Chapter on Attention

Attention

• Refers to the concentration of mental resources on particular stimuli, enabling selective focus and improved processing.

Sustained Attention (Vigilance)

• Involves maintaining prolonged focus on a specific stimulus over an extended period, essential for tasks requiring continuous attention.

Selective Attention

• The ability to concentrate on particular stimuli while disregarding others, crucial for effective information processing in distracting environments.

Multitasking

• Involves the ability to switch attention rapidly between multiple tasks, which can impact efficiency and cognitive load.

Divided Attention

• The capability to split focus between several stimuli or tasks simultaneously, often leading to reduced performance on individual tasks.

Interaction Sources

• Information is gathered from the five senses: light (sight), sound (hearing), touch (tactile), taste (gustatory), and smell (olfactory), contributing to overall sensory perception.

Internal Stimuli

• Sensations that originate from within the body, such as hunger, pain, and internal feedback, influencing behavior and focus.

External Stimuli

• Sensory inputs that arise from the environment, including visual and auditory signals that can affect attention and actions.

Cognitive Processing

• Represents the mental effort necessary to perform tasks, encompassing memory, reasoning, and problem-solving capabilities.