Podcast
Questions and Answers
What occurs when an individual must perform two tasks that require attention simultaneously?
What occurs when an individual must perform two tasks that require attention simultaneously?
What is the best description of selective attention?
What is the best description of selective attention?
Which type of cues capture our attention without conscious effort?
Which type of cues capture our attention without conscious effort?
What is a key feature of in-attentional blindness?
What is a key feature of in-attentional blindness?
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What defines directed attention?
What defines directed attention?
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What phenomenon occurs when someone can focus on one voice in a crowded environment?
What phenomenon occurs when someone can focus on one voice in a crowded environment?
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Which statement about endogenous cues is true?
Which statement about endogenous cues is true?
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How is attention best described in the context of divided attention?
How is attention best described in the context of divided attention?
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What is the primary difference between change blindness and inattentional blindness?
What is the primary difference between change blindness and inattentional blindness?
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Which type of attention is specifically involved in detecting signals or targets of interest?
Which type of attention is specifically involved in detecting signals or targets of interest?
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What role does the locus ceruleus play in attention?
What role does the locus ceruleus play in attention?
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Which statement accurately describes covert orienting?
Which statement accurately describes covert orienting?
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What is the main function of executive attention?
What is the main function of executive attention?
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What is attentional capture?
What is attentional capture?
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In Broadbent's Early Selection Theory, what happens to unattended information?
In Broadbent's Early Selection Theory, what happens to unattended information?
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Which neurotransmitter is crucial for modulating the orienting attention network?
Which neurotransmitter is crucial for modulating the orienting attention network?
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How does practice affect attention during task performance?
How does practice affect attention during task performance?
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What can lead to neglect syndrome?
What can lead to neglect syndrome?
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What effect does aging have on alerting attention?
What effect does aging have on alerting attention?
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In the context of selective attention, what does the shadowing task evaluate?
In the context of selective attention, what does the shadowing task evaluate?
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Which mechanism allows an individual to focus on one person's voice in a noisy room?
Which mechanism allows an individual to focus on one person's voice in a noisy room?
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Study Notes
Divided Attention
- Attention is a limited resource. Performing multiple tasks simultaneously involves switching between them instead of truly doing them at once.
- Divided attention happens when a person must do two tasks requiring attention at the same time.
Joint Attention
- Joint attention involves two individuals focusing on the same object.
Directed Attention
- Directed attention allows sustained focus on a single task or object, like a Necker cube.
- Attention is the focusing or concentrating on something, ignoring other stimuli.
Selective Attention
- Selective attention involves choosing one task over another (e.g., watching TV or studying).
- Attention can be selectively focused like a flashlight illuminating one area at a time.
- An individual can only focus on one thing at any given moment.
Types of Attention Cues
- Exogenous (External) Cues: These cues automatically capture attention without conscious effort (e.g., bright colors, loud noises, "pop-out" effects). External events drive this type of attention.
- Endogenous (Internal) Cues: These cues require internal knowledge (e.g., arrows, understanding instructions) and intention (e.g., following an arrow) to direct attention. Internal events drive this type of attention.
Cocktail Party Effect
- The ability to focus on one voice in a crowded room or respond to your name is an example of endogenous attention.
Inattentional Blindness (Perceptual Blindness)
- This is failing to notice something in plain sight due to attention being directed elsewhere.
- An example is not noticing a fire extinguisher because attention is elsewhere.
Change Blindness
- Change blindness describes the failure to notice changes in the environment.
- This is a notable difference from inattentional blindness. An example would be not noticing a mother getting a haircut.
Stimuli Types
- Distal stimuli: Objects and events around you that are important.
- Proximal stimuli: The sensory patterns of these objects, like light patterns on your retina.
Orienting Mechanisms
- Covert orienting: Focusing attention without body movement.
- Ove rt orienting: Turning part or all of your body to maximize sensory input.
Attentional Capture
- Attentional capture happens when an object or stimulus's movement attracts attention.
Neglect Syndrome
- Damage to the brain can cause a disruption in the spatial dimension of divided attention.
Vigilance and Signal Detection
- Vigilance is a type of attention involving detecting a signal or target, like noticing a pothole.
- These processes prime quick reactions once a signal is detected.
- Previous practice improves skill performance. Excessive arousal is detrimental, but increased arousal can enhance attention too.
- Expert performance requires less attention.
Attention Networks and Aging
- Alerting attention is affected by regular aging but deficits aren't usually associated with schizophrenia.
- Orienting attention involves changing focus between stimuli (affected by acetylcholine).
- Executive attention plays a role in goal-directed behavior, monitoring conflicts in internal processes, and anticipating the effects of actions (related to dopamine).
Theories of Selective Attention
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Broadbent's Early Selection Theory:
- Information enters a sensory register and is then passed to a selective filter.
- The filter lets through info based on characteristics like voice, pitch, etc., filtering out the unheard.
- Finally, the information is passed to perceptual processes, gaining meaning.
- One important, critiqued weakness of this theory is that it predicts we should not be able to understand our name in the unattended channel, which clearly we can.
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Description
Explore the different types of attention such as divided, joint, directed, and selective attention in this quiz. Understand how attention functions in daily tasks and what cues draw our focus. Test your knowledge on the mechanisms of attention and its impact on our abilities.
