attention

attention

• focusing on specific features, objects, or locations or on certain thoughts or activities.

• The ability to focus on specific stimuli or locations.

selective attention

•  attending to one thing while ignoring others.

distraction

• one stimulus interfering with the processing of another stimulus.

divided attention

•  paying attention to more than one thing at a time.

attentional capture

• a rapid shifting of attention usually caused by a stimulus such as a loud noise, bright light, or sudden movement.

visual scanning

• movements of the eyes from one location or object to another.

william james

• Who described attention as the mind taking possession of one thing from several possible objects or thoughts, which means withdrawing from some things so we can deal effectively with others. 

• “Millions of items . . . are present to my senses which never properly enter my experience. Why? Because they have no interest for me. My experience is what I agree to attend to. . . . Everyone knows what attention is. It is the taking possession by the mind, in clear and vivid form, of one out of what seem several simultaneously possible objects or trains of thought. . . . It implies withdrawal from some things to deal effectively with others. “

donald broadbent

• Who proposed the filter model of attention. It explains how we can focus on one message while preventing other information from reaching higher-level processing.

stage 1 : sensory memory

Broadbent’s Filter Model Stages

•  holds all the incoming information for a fraction of a second and then transfers all of it to the filter.

stage 2 : filter

Broadbent’s Filter Model Stages

• identifies the message that is being attended to based on its physical characteristics such as: 

  • Tone of voice

  • Pitch

  • Speaking speed

  • Accent

stage 3 : detector

Broadbent’s Filter Model Stages

• processes the information from the attended message to determine higher-level characteristics of the message, particularly meaning.

stage 4 : memory

Broadbent’s Filter Model Stages

• the processed information enters the short-term memory which holds the information for 10 to 15 seconds and transfers information into long-term memory which holds information indefinitely.