20 Questions
What does the term 'attention' refer to in the context of human performance?
Characteristics associated with perceptual, cognitive, and motor activities
How is attention related to consciousness or awareness?
It refers to what we are thinking about or aware of when performing activities
What is an example of an attention-demanding activity mentioned in the text?
Detecting performance-related information in the environment
What did Sir William Hamilton study in Britain in 1859?
Attention
How does the text describe the relationship between observation and detection activity and conscious awareness?
It does not always require conscious awareness of what is observed and detected
According to multiple-resource theories, what are the three different sources from which resources for processing information are available?
Input and output modalities, stages of information processing, and codes of processing information
What is the cocktail party phenomenon an example of?
Meaningfulness of an event to us personally
In the context of multiple-resource theories, why do people have difficulty performing two different hand responses simultaneously?
They demand resources from the same structure
What is the focus of multiple-resource theories?
Types of demands placed on various information-processing and response outcome structures
What does the cocktail party phenomenon illustrate?
Spontaneous shift of attention based on the meaningfulness of an event
What does Kahneman's theory of attention view as a general pool of effort?
Attentional resources
What significantly influences the capacity of available attention?
Arousal levels
What type of events spontaneously attract attention, as supported by research evidence?
Novel events
What may hinder successful task completion according to Kahneman's theory?
Capacity limitations
What influences the allocation of attention according to Kahneman's model?
Task demands
Who is considered the 'father of experimental psychology'?
William Wundt
What theory proposed a bottleneck that filters out information not selected for further processing?
Filter theory of attention
When did a resurgence in attention research occur?
During World War II
What did the central-resource theory of attention propose?
A central reservoir of resources from which all activities compete
What did recent attention theories focus on?
Visual selective attention
Study Notes
History and Theories of Attention
- William Wundt is considered the "father of experimental psychology" and studied attention in the late 19th century at the University of Leipzig in Germany.
- William James provided an early definition of attention in 1890, describing it as the "focalization, concentration, of consciousness."
- The emphasis on attention research diminished in the late 19th and early 20th centuries due to the influence of behaviorism.
- A resurgence in attention research occurred during World War II due to the practical requirements of understanding human performance in military skills.
- Attention-related areas of interest during this period included simultaneous performance of multiple activities and the selection of relevant information from the performance environment.
- Studies have shown that attention limits influence performance when individuals engage in more than one activity simultaneously.
- The filter theory of attention, also known as the bottleneck theory, proposed that the human information-processing system performs functions in serial order and has a bottleneck that filters out information not selected for further processing.
- Another theory proposed that attention limits result from the limited availability of resources needed to carry out information-processing functions in parallel.
- Some attention theories emphasize a central reservoir of resources from which all activities compete, similar to an economic resource pool.
- Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman proposed a central-resource theory of attention, which continues to influence present views about attention.
- Some researchers have moved away from the concept of a central capacity limit to theories that emphasize the selection and integration of information and activities associated with various functional aspects of human performance.
- Recent attention theories have focused on visual selective attention and have evolved from the earlier theories regarding attention limitations.
Test your knowledge of the history and theories of attention with this quiz. Explore the work of influential figures like William Wundt and William James, and learn about the evolution of attention research from the late 19th century to present day. Get insights into filter theory, central-resource theory, and visual selective attention.
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