Psych 213 Lecture Notes January 23, 2025 PDF

Attention, part 1 January 23, 2025 Select your attention on my sweet face, not on your computer!  Last class: Visual Perception Visual perception Constructivist and direct models of visual perception We use information beyond...

Attention, part 1 January 23, 2025 Select your attention on my sweet face, not on your computer!  Last class: Visual Perception Visual perception Constructivist and direct models of visual perception We use information beyond sensory information to drive perception We can directly perceive the world through sensory information What happens when there is damage to the visual system? Blindsight from primary visual cortical damage Damage to the dorsal pathway leads to problems with spatial perception and movement Damage to the ventral pathway leads to problems with object recognition Prosopagnosia Theories of object recognition  Theories of visual object recognition Perception involves processing basic visual features of an input and integrating it into a probe pattern A combination of features, depends on feature detection processes Pattern recognition involves comparing that pattern to existing patterns in memory Like a barcode  Theories of visual object recognition A probe is matched to patterns in long-term memory The highest similarity between the probe and memory pattern will determine recognition What is the probe being compared to in long-term memory? Template matching theory Prototype theory  Template (exemplar) matching theory Every object has a ‘template’ in long-term memory too simplistic computationally demanding Cannot explain Identification: The ability to recognize objects with shifts in perspective Classification: The ability to recognize new objects as members of a known category  Prototype theory A prototype is the average representation of an object concept Recognition is determined not by literal match, but to a prototype A ‘good enough’ match (resemblance) leads to identification Allows for ‘flexible’ object identification * More in concepts lecture Visual Input Prototype Probe  Context matters for object recognition Scene consistency effect Lauer et al, 2021  What is attention? “Everyone knows what attention is.... It implies withdrawal from some things in order to deal effectively with others, and is a condition which has a real opposite in the confused, dazed, scatterbrained state which...is called distraction” William James (1890) Attention is best understood in terms of what it does rather than what it is.  The agenda Types of attention Neural mechanisms of attention Top-down attention Models of selective attention  Types of attention Top down attention Observer guided controlled attention Frontal-parietal brain regions (IPS; FEF) Attention Bottom up attention Stimuli guided automatic attention TPJ; VFC Arousal Alertness and Awareness Autonomic Nervous System; Reticular Activating System Gitelman, 2003  Attentional processes Top down attention Observer guided controlled attention Bottom-up attention Frontal-parietal brain regions (IPS; Physical stimuli and salience FEF) * focus on next lecture Bottom up attention Stimuli guided automatic attention TPJ; VFC Arousal Alertness and Awareness Autonomic Nervous System; Reticular Activating System  Attentional processes Top down attention Observer guided controlled attention A goal or target in mind directs your attention Frontal-parietal brain regions (IPS; (I want to eat a burrito!) FEF) Bottom up attention Stimuli guided automatic attention TPJ; VFC Arousal Alertness and Awareness Autonomic Nervous System; Reticular Activating System  Neural mechanisms of attention A network of regions across frontal and parietal lobes Frontal eye fields Intraparietal (FEF) sulcus/Intraparietal lobule (Ips/IPL) Controlled, preparing attention and setting goals Automatic attentional orienting temporoparietal junction ventral frontal cortex (TPJ) (VFC) Corbetta & Shulman, 2002  Attentional shift Shifting attention Task: shift between attending to image vs sound Vision Sound  Divisions of attention Endogenous attention: When an individual chooses what to pay attention to (goals and intention) Top-down processing Intraparietal sulcus (IPS) and FEF Exogenous attention: When stimuli in the environment drives us to pay attention Bottom-up processing Temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) and VFC  A special case: Spatial neglect Damage to the right hemisphere, ventral parietal cortex Deficits in spatial attention and egocentric representations in contralateral field of view Cannot attend to information present to opposite side of lesion  Top-down attention Sustained attention Maintain focus on one input for a long period of time Vigilance Divided attention Shifting attentional focus between tasks Multi-tasking Selective attention Focus on one input and ignore other information  Selective attention Why we have it? We have limited information processing resources Must prioritize what to process This will depend on goal (what you want to attend to) Theories 1. Early selection filter models 2. Attenuator 3. Late selection filter models 4. Load theory  Theories of selective attention We filter out information when processing information Early selection models : Attenuator model : Late selection model : Load theory Semantic Sensory Perceptual analysis Reponses buffer analysis (short term memory) 1. Broadbent’s early selection filter model You filter information at the level of perception, before information is processed for meaning (semantic analysis) Filter Semantic Sensory Perceptual analysis Reponses buffer analysis (short term memory)  Broadbent’s early selection filter model Select information via perception (spatial location, frequency of sound) Selected information is processed for meaning, enters awareness Information not selected by the filter decays and is not processed for meaning Semantic Sensory Perceptual analysis Reponses buffer analysis (short term Attended information memory) Non-attended information  Dichotic listening tasks Present two simultaneous messages to each ear Participants better to recall ear by ear than the simultaneous message In the ex. better remembering 2,5,6 and 8,4,1 than 2,8; 5,4; 6,1 Conclusion: Information is selected for attention at perception 2 8 5 4 6 1  Dichotic listening: Shadowing tasks People do not remember the content of an unattended message, but they notice some sensory features A new noise; gender of the speaker Evidence that unattended information is not processed for meaning but perception The way I see it, if you're The clock tower was struck by going to build a time lightning during an electrical machine into a car, why not storm on November 12, 1955 do it with style The clock tower was struck by Attended ear lightning during Unattended ear Asked to repeat this message an … Don’t pay attention  Evidence against early selection In certain situations, un-attended information can “break through” At a party, you can attend to one conversation, yet hear your name if spoken in a non-attended-to conversation SIGNY! The way I see it, if The clock tower was struck by you're going to build a time lightning during an electrical storm machine into a car, why not do on November 12, 1955 The clock tower was struck by it with style lightning during an … oh, and I Attended ear heard my name! Unattended ear Asked to repeat this message Don’t pay attention  Evidence against early selection Participants presented with a word (e.g., apple) paired with a shock in pre- shadowing task phase Shadowing task with the ‘shocked’ word in the unattended ear Increased skin conductance when the ‘shocked’ word was presented in the unattended ear APPLE Pineapple, Strawberries, Lemons Orange, Banana, Apple Attended ear Unattended ear Asked to repeat this message Don’t pay attention Von Wright et al (1975)  2. Treisman’s attenuator model An early filter dials down the influence of unattended material Some aspects of unattended material to be processed for meaning Information passes, but some of it is weaker  3. Late selection filter models We process input to the level of the meaning, and then select what we want to process further Filter Semantic Sensory Perceptual analysis Reponses buffer analysis (short term memory)  Stroop task: Name the color of the “ink” RED BLACK PURPLE GREEN YELLOW ORANGE BLUE RED GREEN BLACK  Controlled and automatic tasks Controlled tasks: Those that require effort and voluntary top-down attention Stroop: naming the color of the ‘ink’ Automatic tasks: Those that are highly familiar and well-practiced and do not require voluntary top-down attention Stroop: reading color names* * does require access meaning  Stroop task RED BLACK PURPLE GREEN YELLOW ORANGE BLUE RED GREEN BLACK Incongruent trial: Congruent trial: Ink and color don’t match; Ink and color match slower!  Stroop task 720 RED BLACK PURPLE GREEN YELLOW Color ink naming time (ms) 700 680 660 ORANGE BLUE RED GREEN BLACK 640 620 600 580 560 Incongruent trial: Congruent trial: 540 Ink and color don’t match Ink and color match congruent incongruent Stroop task and late selection filter models For the interference effect to occur on the Stroop task, you must process the written color name (unattended information) for meaning Filter Semantic Sensory Perceptual analysis Reponses buffer analysis Attended information : Color ink (short term memory) Non-attended information : Color name  Removing automatic processing Hypnotized English-speaking participants to think color names were meaningless Removes the automatic processing of meaning of the words (i.e., color) Stroop effect Result: No Stroop interference effect! No difference! No Stroop effect! Raz et al. 2003  4. The load theory Attentional filtering (selection) can occur at different points of processing Filter placement will depend on how much of your resources are required for your current task If low resource load, process non-attended information to a later stage If high resource load, process non-attended information at an early stage  The load theory A difficult task with a high load: We process all information (relevant and irrelevant) only to the level of perception Our attention is selected early Focused attention An easier task with a low load: We process all information (relevant and irrelevant) to the level of meaning Our attention is selected later Process irrelevant information for meaning When am I most distracted by the Cog Dog? I have watched Jurassic Park many times (low load to watch) and I have never seen Harry Potter (high load to watch)  Two ways to define load Central resource capacity view One resource pool from which all attention resources are allocated Multiple resource capacity view Multiple resources from which attention resources are allocated Attentional load depends on the match between the relevant and irrelevant information E.g., Attentional capacity is reached sooner if relevant and irrelevant information are from the same modality  Central resource capacity Driving simulator task under two conditions Low (auditory) load, driving with no radio DETECTION 100 High (auditory) load, driving and listening to the radio 50 0 Did you see the elephant? Low load High Load Murphy & Greene, 2017  Two ways to define load Central resource capacity view One resource pool from which all attention resources are allocated Multiple resource capacity view Multiple resources from which attention resources are allocated Attentional load depends on the match between the relevant and irrelevant information E.g., Attentional capacity is reached sooner if relevant and irrelevant information are from the same modality  According to multiple resource capacity? If you are driving and need to get directions, would you have more problems paying attention to the road if listening to a set of directions viewing it on your phone