Attention & Working Memory

Echo Memory

auditory information

Ionic Memory

visual information

Attention

enhanced processing of one form of relevat info while ignoring others that may be available

Cognitive Resource allocation

you can divide attention if theres little/no overlap between resources

Sustained attention

concentrating on a task for a long period of time

Overt attention

direct line of stimulus

Covert attention

attention shifted (internally) toward something outside of visual field

Goal directed attention

curiosity, motivation and focus

Stimulus driven attention

reaction, fear, pop-up ads

Concentration

sustained behavior in the face of other options

Preattentive

occurs in parallel, pop-out automatic does not require attention

Attentive

Occurs serially, requires direct attention “pop-out” attentional capture

multi-tasking

doing 2 or more tasks simultaneously

Task switching

tasks which require use of the same resources cannot be attened to simultaneously

Mere pressure effect

you can become easily distracted by objects in environment

Automaticity

once a task has been practiced enough they no longer require the same amount of attention (apart of procedural memory)

Attentional blink

sometimes we miss stimuli completely

Attenuation model

important enough stimuli break our attention

Working memory

active maintenance & maniuplation; temporary workspace; integrated with sensory memory & attention

What is working memory used in?

language comprehension & production, decision making & thought; mental operations; goal directed behavior; consciousness

Phonological loop

responsible for auditory info; updated through rehearsal

word length effect

phonological loop capacity (length of items); relates to articulation duration

Visuospatial sketchpad

visual & spatiel location info; updated through rehearsal

Episodic buffer

bridge between working memory & long term memory; cross modal; responsible chunking

Central executive

delegrates info; maintains rehearsal; controls output

executive function

wiled attention; sequence planning; inhibilation; thought; judgment & emotion regulations

Inhibition

frontal lobe inhibits impulsivity

delayed gratification

late rewards

Alcohol

neural inhibitor mimics effects of GABA… reducing activity in frontal cortex, lower EF activity, low inhibition

General fluid intelligence

predictor of IQ tests & academic performance

Primacy effect

remembering the stuff at the start

Recency effect

remembering the stuff at the end

Failing to notice information deemed “irrelevant” to the current situation (even when very obvious, such as a gorilla walking through the visual scene), is known as what?

Inattentional blindness

“Pop-out” is another name for what attentional phenomenon?

Attentional capture

Is it possible to multi-task?

Yes, as long as the tasks do not require the same or overlapping cognitive resources

If you were in a motorcycle accident that caused severe damage to your left temporal-parietal junction, the most likely outcome would be…

Neglect of the right visual field

Which of the following directly shows that not all vision is conscious?

Masked priming

Someone with severe deficits in attentional control would most likely…

Have overall lower WM scores when compared to those without such deficits

If you want to improve your WM capacity for lists of items in a delayed recall task, you could try…

Rehearsing the items more quickly during the delay

The chimpanzee working memory study we discussed best illustrates what point about visuospatial working memory (VSWM)? 

VSWM capacity for a particular task can be increased with practice and expertise in both chimpanzees and humans

Damage to the frontal lobes typically results in:

Issues with attentional focus

The problem with “brain training” games such as Lumosity or CogMed is that they…

Show near transfer, but not far transfer