Chapter 4: Attention and Consciousness PDF

Chapter 4: Attention and Consciousness Type Lecture Created time @September 11, 2024 10:58 AM Attention Attention - is the means by which we actively select and process a limited amount of info...

Chapter 4: Attention and Consciousness Type Lecture Created time @September 11, 2024 10:58 AM Attention Attention - is the means by which we actively select and process a limited amount of information from all of the information captured by our senses, our stored memories, and our other cognitive processes. Consciousness - includes both the feeling of awareness and the content of awareness, some of which may be under the focus of attention Signal detection theory (SDT) a framework to explain how people pick out the important stimuli embedded in a wealth irrelevant, distracting stimuli. SDT often is used to measure sensitivity to a target’s presence. Chapter 4: Attention and Consciousness 1  Signal Detect a signal Do not detect a signal present absent Hit False alarm miss correction rejection vigilance - person’s ability to attend to a field of stimulation over a prolonged period, during which the person seeks to detect the appearance of a particular target stimulus of interest. Search actively looking search - refers to a scan of the environment for particular features — actively looking for something when you are not sure where it will appear Search is made more difficult by distracters, non-target stimuli that divert our attention away from the target stimulus. Feature search - we look for just one feature (e.g., color, shape, or size) that makes our search object different from all others, therefore the number of characters does not really play a role in slowing us down. Conjunction search - we have to combine two or more features to find the stimulus we are looking for feature integration theory - explains why it is relatively easy to conduct feature searches and relatively difficult to conduct conjunction searches. According to Anne Treisman, 2 stages are involved when we perceived objects: Chapter 4: Attention and Consciousness 2  according to Similarity Theory, the more similar target and distracters are, the more difficult it is to find the target. selective attention shadowing - listening to two different messages, presenting separate message to each ear, known as dichotic presentation. distinctive sensory characteristics of the target’s speech (e.g., high versus low pitch, piercing, and rhythmicity) Sound intensity (loudness) Location of the sound source easily filter model - all the incoming information is being perceived and stored in sensory memory for a split second and then forwards it to a filter that allows only one message to move forward to be processed in more detail, based on loudness, pitch, or accent Selective filter model - filter blocks out most information at the sensory level, but some personally important messages are so powerful that they burst through the filtering mechanisms Attenuation model - at least some information about unattended signals is being analyzed. Instead of blocking out stimuli, the filter (attenuator) merely weakens (attenuates) the strength of all stimuli other than the target stimulus late filter model - suggested that stimuli are filtered out only after they hav been analyzed for both their physical properties as their meaning A synthesis of early filter and late filter models - Uric Neisser synthesized the early late-filter models and proposed that two processes govern attention: Preattentive Processes - automatic processes are rapid and occur in parallel, they can be used to notice only physical sensory characteristics of the unattended message, but they do not discern meaning or relationships Attentive, controlled processes - processes that occur later they are executed serially, and consume time and attentional resources, such as working memory. Information is processed in much more detail here. capacity models of attention - people have fixed amount of attention that they can choose to allocate, which can be explained by 2 models: One single pool of attentional resources can be divided freely Chapter 4: Attention and Consciousness 3  Multiple sources of attention are available, one for each modality (e.g., verbal or visual) Factors that influence our ability to pay attention Anxiety Task difficulty Arousal Skills trait- task higher based novels/familiarity,easiness/difficulty tired, practice/skill or drowsy, enhances state- drugged, attention based excitement Subfunctions of attention alerting - being prepared to attend to some incoming event, and maintaining this attention, also includes the processes of getting to this state of preparedness Orienting - the selection of stimuli to attend to, needed when we perform a visual search Executive attention - includes processes for monitoring and resolving conflicts that arise among internal processes. These processes include thoughts, feelings, and responses When our attention fails us attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) - difficulties in focusing their attention, 3 primary symptoms include inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness. 3 types are : hyperactive-impulse type (AHD) Inattentive type (ADD) Combination (ADHD) They are easily distracted by irrelevant sight and sounds They are often fail to pay attention to details They are susceptible to making careless mistakes in their work They often fail to read instructions completely or carefully They are susceptible to forgetting or losing things they need for tasks, such as pencils or books Chapter 4: Attention and Consciousness 4  They tend to jump from one complete task to another Change blindness - inability to detect changes in objects or scenes that are being viewed. Inattentional blindness - inability to see things that are actually there Spatial Neglect or Hermineglect - attentional dysfunction in which participants ignore the half of their visual field that is contralateral to (on the opposite of) the hemisphere of the brains that has a lesion Automatic and controlled processes automatic processes - such as writing your name involve no conscious control, nevertheless, you may be aware that you are performing them. They may demand little to no effort Parallel processes - multiple automatic processes may occur at once, or at least quickly, and in no particular sequence controlled processes - accessible to conscious control and even require it, occur sequentially/and in no particular sequence automatization/proceduralization -tasks that start off as controlled processes eventually become automatic ones as a result of practice Instance theory - automatization occurs because we gradually accumulate knowledge about specific responses to specific stimuli stroop effect - when automatization in reading works against us Chapter 4: Attention and Consciousness 5  priming - participants are presented with a 1st stimulus (the prime), followed by a break that can range from milliseconds, to weeks or months. Then , the participants are presented with a 2nd stimulus affected the perception of the 2nd. Tip of the tongue - when you try to remember something that is stored in memory but that cannot be easily retrieved Blindsight - traces of visual perceptual ability in blind areas, “seeing” despite his unawareness of seeing Chapter 4: Attention and Consciousness 6