Cognitive Psychology Lecture: Sensory Memory and Attention

These flashcards cover key concepts related to sensory memory and attention in cognitive psychology as discussed in the lecture.

Cognitive Psychology

The study of memory, attention, perception, and language.

Sensory Memory

The initial stage of memory where sensory information is stored for a very brief period.

Short-term Memory

A type of memory that has a limited capacity for storing information and requires retrieval from long-term memory for processing.

Long-term Memory

A memory system that has an unlimited capacity for storing information over long periods.

Sperling's Research

An experiment that demonstrated the capacity of sensory memory using visual displays of letters.

Partial Report Technique

A method used in Sperling's research where participants recall only a specific row of letters after a brief display.

Whole Report Technique

A method where participants are asked to recall all items presented in a sensory memory task.

Attentional Selection

The process of focusing on specific stimuli while ignoring others during information processing.

Broadbent's Filter Theory

A theory that suggests information is filtered early in the processing stream, allowing only selected information to be processed.

Dichotic Listening Task

A task used to study attention where participants hear different messages in each ear and must focus on one.

Right Ear Advantage

The phenomenon where verbal stimuli presented to the right ear are processed more efficiently in the left hemisphere.

Masking

A phenomenon where subsequent stimuli make it difficult to recognize earlier stimuli, disrupting recall.

Retroactive Interference

When new information interferes with the retrieval of older information.

Proactive Interference

When older information interferes with the retrieval of new information.

Iconic Memory

A type of visual sensory memory that lasts for a very short duration, measured in milliseconds.

Attenuator Model

Treisman's model suggesting that unattended information is weakened but not completely filtered out.

Spotlight of Attention Theory

A theory by Michael Posner illustrating how attention can be directed to specific locations in visual space.

Exogenous Cueing

A type of attention cue that involuntarily captures attention, such as an external stimulus.

Endogenous Cueing

A type of attention cue that involves voluntary focus and is driven by internal goals.