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Questions and Answers
What is a key characteristic of structural theories regarding attention?
What is a key characteristic of structural theories regarding attention?
How does capacity theory differ from structural theories in terms of task performance?
How does capacity theory differ from structural theories in terms of task performance?
According to the findings of Strayer and Johnston, what effect does using a mobile phone while driving have on performance?
According to the findings of Strayer and Johnston, what effect does using a mobile phone while driving have on performance?
What best describes the impact of central task load on dual task performance according to Li et al. (2002)?
What best describes the impact of central task load on dual task performance according to Li et al. (2002)?
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What concept does the study by Cartwright-Finch & Lavie (2007) illustrate regarding inattentional blindness?
What concept does the study by Cartwright-Finch & Lavie (2007) illustrate regarding inattentional blindness?
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What does the term 'cost of divided attention' refer to in Moray's study?
What does the term 'cost of divided attention' refer to in Moray's study?
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In the context of shadowing tasks, what is the main goal?
In the context of shadowing tasks, what is the main goal?
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What does the term 'exclusive OR (XOR)' imply in attention studies?
What does the term 'exclusive OR (XOR)' imply in attention studies?
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According to Moray's study, how does late selection predict outcomes in attention tasks?
According to Moray's study, how does late selection predict outcomes in attention tasks?
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What is the implication of 'AND trials' in the context of simultaneous target detection?
What is the implication of 'AND trials' in the context of simultaneous target detection?
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What does Moray's study suggest about early selection theory?
What does Moray's study suggest about early selection theory?
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Why is there a moderate cost of divided attention in the study's findings?
Why is there a moderate cost of divided attention in the study's findings?
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What does 'inclusive OR (IOR)' mean in terms of attentional processing?
What does 'inclusive OR (IOR)' mean in terms of attentional processing?
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What is the primary difference between the endogenous and exogenous orienting systems?
What is the primary difference between the endogenous and exogenous orienting systems?
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What phenomenon is observed only with peripheral cues, according to the provided content?
What phenomenon is observed only with peripheral cues, according to the provided content?
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How does the voluntary orienting system respond to cognitive load compared to the reflexive orienting system?
How does the voluntary orienting system respond to cognitive load compared to the reflexive orienting system?
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What is the ecological purpose of Inhibition of Return?
What is the ecological purpose of Inhibition of Return?
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Which factor differentiates the effects of the two orienting systems regarding reaction time and duration?
Which factor differentiates the effects of the two orienting systems regarding reaction time and duration?
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What does the shape of the trade-off curve indicate in dual task paradigms?
What does the shape of the trade-off curve indicate in dual task paradigms?
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Which of the following is a major shortcoming of capacity theory?
Which of the following is a major shortcoming of capacity theory?
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In the context of dual tasks, what is 'graceful degradation'?
In the context of dual tasks, what is 'graceful degradation'?
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What did Bonnel & Hafter (1998) find about easy vs. difficult tasks?
What did Bonnel & Hafter (1998) find about easy vs. difficult tasks?
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What does the capacity theory emphasize regarding attention?
What does the capacity theory emphasize regarding attention?
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What was one of the first focuses of attention research in the 1980s?
What was one of the first focuses of attention research in the 1980s?
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What capacity theory aspect can be refined using decision-making theories?
What capacity theory aspect can be refined using decision-making theories?
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What is the primary benefit of capacity theory in psychological research?
What is the primary benefit of capacity theory in psychological research?
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What is meant by 'covert' attention?
What is meant by 'covert' attention?
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In the Posner model, what does the 'spotlight of attention' represent?
In the Posner model, what does the 'spotlight of attention' represent?
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What does the Spatial Cuing Paradigm primarily measure?
What does the Spatial Cuing Paradigm primarily measure?
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What is the expected outcome in a cued (valid) trial of the Spatial Cuing Paradigm?
What is the expected outcome in a cued (valid) trial of the Spatial Cuing Paradigm?
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What typically happens during an invalidly cued trial?
What typically happens during an invalidly cued trial?
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What are the potential causes of the costs and benefits observed in cuing effects?
What are the potential causes of the costs and benefits observed in cuing effects?
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Which type of system is involved in top-down attentional control?
Which type of system is involved in top-down attentional control?
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What kind of attentional control is referred to as bottom-up?
What kind of attentional control is referred to as bottom-up?
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What deficit might clinical patients show concerning attention?
What deficit might clinical patients show concerning attention?
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Which statement best describes the relationship between eye movements and attention shifts?
Which statement best describes the relationship between eye movements and attention shifts?
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Study Notes
Indirect Measures of Attention
- Early Selection: Weak semantic activation on unattended channel
- Late Selection: Brief semantic activation on unattended channel
- Some phenomena not predicted by either early or late selection theory.
- Shadowing tasks investigate attentional filtering.
Cost of Divided Attention
- Auditory signal detection: Pure tone stimuli.
- Selective: Monitor for targets on one channel only.
- Exclusive OR (XOR): Monitor both channels, no simultaneous targets.
- Inclusive OR (IOR): Monitor both channels, simultaneous targets possible.
- Compare simultaneous targets (AND trials) and nonsimultaneous (OR trials).
- Moderate cost of divided attention (OR < SEL).
- Large cost of simultaneous detection (AND < OR).
Implications of the Moray Study
- Early Selection: Predicts OR < SEL because there is attenuation with divided attention. Doesn't predict AND < OR because attenuation shouldn't depend on the identity of the stimulus. Target/nontarget distinction is made in a limited-capacity system, so if filtering occurs before this, the distinction shouldn't matter.
- Late Selection: Predicts AND < OR because two simultaneous targets will both be selected by "pertinence" and compete to get through the filter. Doesn't predict OR < SEL because if there aren't two targets, expect no competition.
Structural and Capacity Theories
- Two ways attention can limit performance: Structural and capacity.
- Structural Theories: Some neural structures can only deal with one stimulus at a time. Competition produces processing "bottleneck"
- Capacity Theories: Information processing is mental work. Work requires activation of neural structure. Limited capacity to activate structure.
Capacity Theory
- Reduction of capacity produces deficit in divided attention tasks.
- Differs from structural theories because capacity can be allocated flexibly to simultaneous tasks.
Interfering Effects of Divided Attention
- Talking on a mobile phone interferes with driving. Sharing capacity reduces accuracy and increases reaction time.
Dual Task Performance
- Attention demanding central task (letters same or different?).
- Easy or hard peripheral task (animal present or disk phase?).
- Difficult task is much more affected by central load.
Capacity Theory Explains "Inattentional Blindness"
- Demanding a central task uses all available capacity.
- Clearly visible square is not detected.
- Which arm of flashed cross is longer?
Study Capacity by Dual Task Trade-Offs
- Attention operating characteristic
- Vary proportion of attention allocated to two tasks in a dual task paradigm.
- "Graceful degradation" of performance as available capacity is reduced.
- Shape of trade-off curve tells about capacity demands of task.
Auditory and Visual Dual Tasks
- Easy auditory and visual tasks (detecting spot of light or tone): Triangles.
- Difficult auditory and visual tasks (discriminating increases from decreases in intensity of spot or tone): Trade off.
- Different capacity demands.
Pros and Cons of Capacity Theory
- Value of capacity theory is new experiments it led to.
- Emphasizes divided attention and flexibility of attentional control.
- Shortcoming is its vagueness. Can always come up with a capacity explanation.
- Can make capacity theories mathematically precise using decision-making theories.
Attentional Orienting
- First work on attention looked at auditory system.
- Problem of eye movements: Natural environment movement in peripheral vision produces saccadic eye movement, greater visual acuity in foveal vision.
- Not interested in eye movement but shifts of attention independent of eye movements.
- Attention shifts precede eye movements and can occur without them.
- Shifts of attention called attentional orienting.
Posner: The "Spotlight of Attention"
- Shifts of attention likened to moving spotlight.
- Selective enhancement for stimuli "illuminated by the beam".
- Expresses selective, limited-capacity idea in spatial terms.
Studying the Spotlight of Attention
- Spatial Cuing Paradigm: Attract attention to A, present stimulus at A or B, compare performance.
Spatial Cuing Paradigm
- Fixation field: Maintain central fixation throughout trial.
- Cue field: Wait for specified SOA (stimulus onset asynchrony).
- Stimulus field: Uninformative cue (50% left, 50% right). Baseline to compare valid and invalid.
Attentional Costs and Benefits
- Benefits: Faster RT with valid cue.
- Costs: Slower RT with invalid cued.
- Very flexible: Can be used with RT or accuracy, and to compare all kinds of stimuli.
Causes of Cuing Effects
- Costs and benefits can be due to: Switching time, time to move the spotlight, unequal capacity allocation.
- Hard to test between these alternatives.
Attentional Orienting
- Shifts in attention can be top-down (decide to shift attention) or bottom-up (something captures attention).
- Need both kinds of systems to function.
- Clinical patients show deficits of both kinds.
- Two attentional control systems?
How Many Orienting Systems?
- Endogenous: Voluntary.
- Exogenous: Reflexive.
- Two systems engaged by different kinds of cues.
- One is cognitive (need to interpret), the other is direct, spatial (no need to interpret).
- Have different properties.
Evidence for Separate Orienting Systems
- Different time course of central and peripheral cuing: Peripheral effect peaks rapidly, central effect peaks slowly.
- Different effects of load: Voluntary orienting slowed by memory load; reflexive orienting is not. Suggests different capacity demands of two systems.
- Inhibition of Return: Found only with peripheral cues, not with central cues.
What's the Purpose of Inhibition of Return?
- Allows efficient search of a complex environment.
- Prevents repeated search of the same location.
Attentional Orienting Experiments
- Multiple sources of evidence for two systems: Effects of SOA and cue type, affected differently by load, reflexive shows inhibition of return, voluntary doesn't.
- Combination of bottom-up and top-down control. Need to be able to focus attention, exclude irrelevant stimuli; also to respond to unexpected threats.
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Description
Test your knowledge on indirect measures of attention, including early and late selection theories. Explore the costs of divided attention and implications from the Moray study related to auditory signal detection. This quiz examines key concepts and theories in cognitive psychology.