PSC 100 Midterm 2

Attention

is the concentration of mental energy used to process information

Selective Attention

we choose what to focus on

Limited Attention

we can’t process everything

attentional bottleneck

is when multiple stimuli compete for limited attentional resources

automatic attention

Unconscious, low-effort processing of information

controlled attention

is effortful, conscious processing

priming

is exposure to one stimulus influences response to another, prior exposure makes it automatic priming

expectation-based priming

is priming based on predicted inputs (effortful)

salient stimuluis

is a stimulus that stands out and grabs attention

habituation

is reduced response to repeated stimuli

dishabituation

is renewed attention when a stimulus changes

change blindness

is failure to notice changes in the environment

cocktail party effect

is the ability to focus on one conversation among many

early selection theory

is only attended information is processed

late selection theory

is all information is processed, selection happens later

d′ (d-prime)

is the measure of sensitivity to a signal

response criterion

is the willingness to say a signal is present

viligance

is sustained attention over time that can eventually decrease because fatigue increases errors

executive control is

the ability to regulate thoughts and actions

perseveration

is repeating the same response incorrectly