Attention and Cognition

arousal

state of overall alertness

selective attention

the process of focusing on one or more specific stimuli

overt

this type of attention involves directly looking at something and paying attention to it

covert

this type of attention involves paying attention to something you are not directly looking at

cocktail party effect

this focuses cognitive processing resources to filter out distractions

inattentional blindness

this is the failure to perceive non-attended stimuli

false

true or false: we can effectively multitask

divided attention

a better term for multitasking

attentional spotlight

this is what you are actively paying attention to

early selection model

this model of attention filtering involves unimportant information being filtered out before the perceptual analysis occurs

late selection model

this model of attention filtering involves filtering out unimportant stimuli after perceptual analysis

stimulus complexity

this determines which level of selection we use

perceptual load

this is the term referring to perceived stimulus complexity

complex

what type of stimulus is more likely to lead to early selection?

simple

which type of stimulus is more likely to lead to late selection?

late selection

what type of filtering may be occurring if you are at a loud party talking to a stranger, and you suddenly notice that your mom happens to be walking by

early selection

what type of filtering may be occurring if you are watching a video of people playing basketball and counting the passes made by people in white shirts, but you don’t notice the gorilla?

endogenously-controlled attention

this is another term for voluntary attention

voluntary

this type of attentional shift comes from within, and allows for longer lasting, more accurate attention

top-down

what type of processing does voluntary attention use?

voluntary attention

covert and overt attention are types of what?

exogenously-controlled attention

another term for reflexive attention

reflexive attention

this is the involuntary reorientation of attention towards a sudden or important stimulus, very quick but brief

bottom-up

what type of processing does reflexive attention use?

pulvinar

this is the largest nucleus of the thalamus

pulvar

this brain region helps shift voluntary attention and filter out distractions, mainly covert and top-down info

superior colliculus

this brain region helps with eye movements, mainly overt attention but also reflexive

superior colliculus, pulvinar

two subcortical attention brain regions

dorsal frontoparietal network

term for cortical regions involved in voluntary attention

right temporoparietal network

name for cortical regions involved in voluntary attention

intraparietal sulcus (IPS)

in voluntary attention, this controls shifts of attention and eye movement planning

frontal eye field (FEF)

in voluntary attention, this establishes gaze related to cognitive goals via top-down processing

temporoparietal junction (TPJ)

in reflexive attention, this brain region establishes gaze with stimuli after unexpected event via bottom-up processing

more

certain neurons fire ____ APs when paying attention to a specific stimulus, or will fire for a longer period

conciousness

ones awareness of self

claustrum

this is thought to be the seat of consciousness in the mind

loss of conscious awareness

a strong electrical pulse to the claustrum results in what?

cognitively impenetrable

neural processing that cannot be simplified

objective conscious experiences

what is an example of an easy problem in studying consciousness?

subjective conscious experiences

what is an example of an hard problem in studying consciousness?

executive function

these are skills used to manage everyday thoughts, feelings, and choices

true

true or false: you can make a decision before being consciously aware of it

orbitofronal PFC

executive function, goal-directed behaviors, signaling expected outcomes

dorsolateral PFC

executive function, judgement, planning, insight, and working memory