PSC 100 - L7/L8 - Attention

unilateral neglect syndrome

Paying Attention

Unable to attend to inputs coming from one side of the body; deficit in selective attention

• Typically damage to right parietal cortex (due to stroke)

• Contralateral neglect

selective attention

Refers to the skill through which one focuses on one input o task while ignoring other stimuli; we select one thing to focus on

dichotic listening tasks, attended, unattended

Selective Attention

Where different audio inputs are presented to each ear via headphones

• PS instructed to pay attention to one input (the blank channel) & ignore the other input (the blank channel)

shadowing

Selective Attention

Dichotic Listening

In a dichotic listening task, repeating out loud the info from the attended channel, which confirmed whether PS were paying attention to the attended channel

semantic content, physical attributes, personally important content

Selective Attention

Dichotic Listening

In a dichotic listening task, PS are generally clueless about what kind of content? REGARDLESS, what are some aspects of this kind of content that are usually picked up?

stimuli directly infront of our eyes

Selective Attention

Dichotic Listening

Sometimes the effects of selective attention is so strong that we fail to see what?

filter

Selective Attention

Inhibiting Distractors

One possibility in how we inhibit distractors is that we block unattended inputs with a blank, which blocks potential distractors, while attended inputs are not filtered out

inattentional blindness

Selective Attention

The failure to see a prominent stimulus, even if one is staring right at it, either cuz you don’t expect that stimulus, or cuz you’re focused on something else. Failing to notice its existence

inattentional deafness

Selective Attention

Inattentional Blindness

The auditory corollary

inattentional numbness

Selective Attention

Inattentional Blindness

The haptic corollary

change blindness

Selective Attention

The inability to detect changes at a scene despite looking at it directly, possibly even while looking for changes

perceive, remember

Selective Attention

Early Vs Late Selection

Inattentional blindness & change blindness could result from…

• Failing to blank the stimulus (aka…)

• Failing to blank the stimulus (aka…)

early selection hypothesis

Selective Attention

Early Vs Late Selection

States that only the attended input is analyzed and perceived while unattended info receives little or no analysis (never perceived)

late selection hypothesis

Selective Attention

Early Vs Late Selection

States that all inputs are analyzed and selection occurs after analysis

• Selection may occur before consciousness or later

• Unattended info might be perceived but then forgotten

expectations

Selection Via Priming

Selection may be a consequence of priming based on your blank

• Perceiver anticipates attended channel

• Detectors needed for the now expected input are primed, leading to primed detectors firing more readily

high frequency or salient

Selection Via Priming

Regardless of expectations, what kind of info is already primed (e.g. your name)?

biased competition theory, desired

Selection Via Priming

Where attention creates a temporary bias in neuron sensitivity

• Neurons receive input from attended stimuli and distractors

• Attention adjusts neurons’ priorities

  • More responsive to input w/ blank properties > receive further processing

  • Less responsive to everything else

repetition priming

Selection Via Priming

Priming produced by a prior encounter w/ a stimulus

• Stimulus driven

• Requires no effort or cognitive resources

expectation driven priming

Selection Via Priming

Detectors for inputs you think are upcoming are deliberately primed

• Effortful

• Not done for unexpected inputs or inputs in which you have no interest

spatial attention

Selection Via Priming

Your ability to focus attention on a specific location in space

does not, does

Selection Via Priming

How Do We Study Attention?

Explaining the Costs & Benefits

Repetition priming (does/does not) have a cost

Expectation based priming (does/does not) have a cost

Why? Explain using the Posner et al fixation mark study

spotlight beam

Selection Via Priming

Attention as a Spotlight

Spatial attention is sometimes thought of as a blank

• Can be moved anywhere in the visual field, independently of the eyes (explain this)

• Scope can be widened or focused

• Area “outside” not completely dark

orientating system

Selection Via Priming

Attention as a Spotlight

The control system for attention includes…

• Disengaging attention from one target > shifting attention to a new target > engage attention on a new target (i.e. flexibly shifting attention, as when driving)

alerting system

Selection Via Priming

Attention as a Spotlight

The control system for attention includes…

• Maintaining an alert state in the brain (i.e. sustaining attention, as when studying)

executive system

Selection Via Priming

Attention as a Spotlight

The control system for attention includes…

• Controlling voluntary actions

sites of attention

Selection Via Priming

Attention as a Spotlight

Brain areas that process input under the influence of attentional signals (e.g. visual cortex in occipital lobe)

visual prominence, level of interest, importance, belief & expectations, culture

Selection Via Priming

Attention as a Spotlight

Where Do We “Shine” the “Beam?”

What factors influence what people attend to?

highly predictable, ultra-rare

Selection Via Priming

Attention as a Spotlight

Where Do We “Shine” the “Beam?”

What kind of items do we tend to ignore?

individualist, collectivist

Selection Via Priming

Attention as a Spotlight

Where Do We “Shine” the “Beam?”

Blank cultures focus more on individual people & objects, while blank cultures focus more on how people & objects relate to each other

endogenous

Selection Via Priming

Attention as a Spotlight

Where Do We “Shine” the “Beam?”

Goal-directed control of attention (e.g. searching for your phone)

exogenous

Selection Via Priming

Attention as a Spotlight

Where Do We “Shine” the “Beam?”

Stimulus-driven control of attention (e.g. ambulance sirens)

objects, positions

Selection Via Priming

We generally pay attention to blank and blank in space

false

Selection Via Priming

Attending to Objects or Attending to Positions

True or false? In an experiment using PS with unilateral neglect syndrome, the rotating barbell suggests that attention terminates when object enters neglected space

preattentive stage

Selection Via Priming

Feature Binding

Part of the feature integration theory. Emphasizes the parallel processing of the stimulus; efficient

focused attention stage

Selection Via Priming

Feature Binding

Part of the feature integration theory. Where expectation-based priming creates processing advantages for the stimulus

priming

Selection Via Priming

Perceiving & the Limits on Cognitive Capacity

Facilitates the processing of desired inputs & also helps to prevent perception of unwanted inputs

divided attention, mental resources

The skill of performing multiple tasks simultaneously

• Our limited blank restricts how well we can do this; will fail if the combo of tasks exceeds it

different from each other

Divided Attention

The Specificity of Resources

Dividing attention is generally easier if the concurrent tasks are what? (Don’t compete for the same resources*)

executive control

Divided Attention

Refers to the mechanisms that allow us to (1) control our thoughts, (2) keep goals in mind, (3) organize mental steps, (4) shift plans & change strategy, & (5) inhibit automatic responses

one task

Divided Attention

Executive Control

Executive control can be devoted to (multiple tasks/one task). Explain

prefrontal cortex

Divided Attention

Executive Control

Damage to what area of the brain can impair executive control?

perseveration error

Divided Attention

Executive Control

The tendency to produce the same response over and over when the task clearly requires a change in response

goal neglect

Divided Attention

Executive Control

Behavior that doesn’t serve the goal in mind; not well organized/controlled to serve a particular goal in mind

combined demand, greater

Divided Attention

Executive Control

Tasks will interfere with each other if their blank for a resource is blank that the amount of resource is available

similarity

Divided Attention

Executive Control

Between task interference increases as task blank increases *

practiced skills

Blank require fewer resources or less frequent use of resources, leading to a decrease in interference between tasks (e.g. consider a novice driver vs a experienced driver)

automaticity

Practice

Describes tasks that are well practiced & require little or no executive control; easier to perform, harder to control