Introduction to Attention - UCAM PDF

Unit 1 Introduction to Attention Attention & Perception Dr Harry Moore Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology INDEX CONTENTS 1. Introduction 2. Aspects of Attention 3. Related Concepts 2 1. Introduction A Pause for Thought Is it possible to pay attent...

Unit 1 Introduction to Attention Attention & Perception Dr Harry Moore Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology INDEX CONTENTS 1. Introduction 2. Aspects of Attention 3. Related Concepts 2 1. Introduction A Pause for Thought Is it possible to pay attention to different stimuli at the same time? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo&ab_channel=DanielSimons 3 1. Introduction What is Meant by the Term ‘Attention’? Image 1 William James William James (1890): “Everyone knows what attention is. It is the taking possession of mind in clear and vivid form......it implies withdrawal from some things in order to deal effectively with others.” However, this definition does not capture the diversity of cognitive processes that attention involves Attention is not a singular concept: it’s an umbrella term for a variety of psychological phenomena/processes Note. Adapted from Figure 15.23, by Gleitman, 2011. 4  2. Aspects of Attention Scenario Imagine: I point to a particular leaf on a particular tree where I have just seen a butterfly and tell you to wait for it to appear from among the leaves. While you’re waiting an apple falls close by, and when you look back at the tree the butterfly starts to emerge. Is there just one type of attention in play? Image 2 Tree Note. Adapted from Tree With Brunch and Green Leaves during Sunset, by Pixabay, 2016, https://www.pexels.com/photo/tree-with-brunch-and- green-leaves-during-sunset-70365/ (link) 5  2. Aspects of Attention Scenario We need a range of attention processes to describe what is happening: In this scenario you would have to selectively attend to a particular area of the tree, then sustain attention and wait for a butterfly to emerge. If a an apple falls nearby it may distract your attention, after which you would have to re-engage your attention to where you were focusing before, and finally you would detect the butterfly when it emerges from the leaves. Image 2 Tree Note. Adapted from Tree With Brunch and Green Leaves during Sunset, by Pixabay, 2016, https://www.pexels.com/photo/tree-with-brunch-and- green-leaves-during-sunset-70365/ (link) 6  2. Aspects of Attention Defining Attention As there are many different processes involved in attention, there can be no unifying definition However, most definitions agree that “attention is characterised by a limited capacity for processing information and that this allocation can be intentionally controlled” (Styles, 2006) Attention is “the means by which we actively process a limited amount of information” (Sternberg & Sternberg, 2012) We can only attend to a certain amount of information of the enormous amount of available information at any one moment: this information can come from senses, memories, or other cognitive processes (e.g. information derived from our own speech) Image 3 Note. Adapted from Person Holding Round Framed Mirror Near Tree at Focus Daytime, by Jenna Hamra, 2018, https://www.pexels.com/photo/person- holding-round-framed-mirror-near-tree-at-daytime-979927/ (link) 7 2. Aspects of Attention Image 4 Divided Attention Three Main Types There are many aspects of attention, and we’ll focus on these three types during this course: Selective (focused) attention: how we attend to one stimulus/task among many, while ignoring the others Divided attention: How we allocate attentional resources to attend to more than one stimulus/task at a given moment (sometimes referred to as multi-tasking) Sustained attention (vigilance): Maintaining attention on a stimulus/task over a prolonged period of time Note. Adapted from Mother Making Milk Drink for Child while Talking on Phone, by MART PRODUCTION, 2021, https://www.pexels.com/photo/mother- making-milk-drink-for-child-while-talking-on-phone- 7491108/ (link) 8 2. Aspects of Attention Functions of Attention Image 5 Posner Task Attention is an adaptive function: without it we would be overwhelmed by having to process every detail in the environment Attention selects specific, important information that requires preferential processing over other information X (i.e. relevant information vs irrelevant information) Control mechanism that optimises information processing: attended stimuli are processed faster with greater accuracy Note. In this task subjects must maintain their eyes fixed on the central cue (arrow). Every now and then a target ‘X’ appears in one Facilitates memory processes: we are more likely to of the two boxes. Subjects must press a button as soon as they see the ‘X’, again, without moving their eyes. Before the ‘X’ appears, the remember information that we pay attention to than central cue points to either one of the boxes, in order to direct the attention of the subjects. When the cue correctly predicts the information we ignore location of the ‘X’, subjects are faster to respond, compared to when the cue incorrectly predicts the location of the ‘X’, suggesting that attended stimuli are processed faster than unattended stimuli 9 2. Aspects of Attention Functions of Attention Attention predicts and prevents excessive loads of Image 6 information: it stops us being over-whelmed by large Abundance of Information quantities of information It helps monitor interactions with our environment: maintains awareness of how well we are adapting to the situation in which we find ourselves Assists in linking memories with the present: attention can activate long-term memories and bring them to consciousness Helps in planning for our future actions (via monitoring our current situation and activating relevant memories) Note. Adapted from Pink White Black Purple Blue Textile Web Scripts, by Negative Space, 2017, https://www.pexels.com/photo/pink-white-black-purple- blue-textile-web-scripts-97077/ (link) 10 2. Aspects of Attention Top-down vs. Bottom-up Processing Another feature of attention is that it can be active or Image 7 Traffic Lights passive: Attention is active when it is controlled by the subject’s goals and expectations. This type of attentional processing is also known as top-down processing E.g. we expect the traffic lights to change and therefore actively pay attention to them Attention is passive when it is controlled by external stimuli. This is also known as bottom-up processing E.g. while waiting at the traffic lights someone sounds Note. Adapted from Image title, their horn, which captures our attention by Author, Year, Web (link) 11 3. Related Concepts Consciousness Image 8 Electroencephalography (EEG) We used to believe that attention was the same thing as consciousness. However, some attentional processing of sensory information can occur without conscious awareness: E.g. When presented information simultaneously in both ears, even though we may only pay attention to what we hear in one ear, later on you may be able to remember something about the information presented in the other, unattended ear (Cherry, Note. Adapted from Figure 5.20, 1953) by Carlson & Birkett, 2017. 12 3. Related Concepts Consciousness E.g. playing a meaningful audio message while Image 8 someone’s asleep produces perturbations in Electroencephalography (EEG) electroencephalogram (EEG) signal (Portas et al., 2000) Consciousness therefore implies a feeling of awareness, which may be the focus of attention (e.g. while brushing your teeth you are conscious of the fact you are brushing your teeth, despite Note. Adapted from Figure 5.20, the focus of attention drifting elsewhere at times) by Carlson & Birkett, 2017. 13 Summary It is impossible to define attention as a single concept, given that it involves many different processes However, most researchers agree that attention involves allocating cognitive resources to process a limited amount of information Attentional processes help us adapt to our environment so that we are not overwhelmed by vast amounts of information, and information that we do attend to is processed faster and more accurately than unattended information. It can be argued that attention and consciousness are not the same thing: consciousness refers to a feeling of awareness 14 BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES Cherry, E. C. (1953). Some experiments on the recognition of speech with one and two ears. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 25, 975-979. Eysenck, M. W., & Keane, M. T. (2020). Cognitive psychology: A student’s handbook (8th ed.). Psychology Press. Gleitman, H., Gross, J., & Reisberg, D. (2011). Psychology (8th ed.). W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. Goldstein, E. B. (2017). Sensation & Perception (10th ed.). Cengage. Portas, C. M., Krakow, K., Allen, P., Josephs, O., Armony, J. L., & Frith, C. D. (2000). Auditory processing across the sleep-wake cycle: simultaneous EEG and fMRI monitoring in humans. Neuron, 28, 991-999. Sternberg, R. J., & Sternberg, K. (2012). Cognitive Psychology (6th ed.). Cengage. Styles, E. A. (2006). The Psychology of Attention (2nd ed.). Psychology Press. 15  Dr Harry Moore [email protected] UCAM Universidad Católica de Murcia © UCAM © UCAM