Attention Overview

What is the role of the right frontal lobe in attention?

responsible for sustained attention.

What does the left prefrontal cortex manage in terms of attention?

responsible for attention switching.

Basic attention involves these neural bases…

1. Thalamus and white matter connections between thalamus and cortical areas of both cerebral hemispheres (bihemispheric) 

2. Lateral and Medial aspects of both frontal lobes

What can result from poor attention?

poor memory.

Right hemisphere attention network involves these neural bases…

right frontal lobe, right posterior parietal cortex, prefrontal cortex, and cingulate gyrus.

What is Early Filter Theory?

Early Filter Theory shows that all stimuli come in, irrelevant stimuli are filtered out, and selected stimuli are processed.

How does Late Filter Theory differ from Early Filter Theory?

Late Filter Theory analyzes all stimuli early and selection is based on importance, rather than filtering irrelevant stimuli out.

What is the focus of Selection Models in theories of attention?

Selection Models focus on how we select which stimuli to process from a pool of sensory information.

Describe divided attention

the ability to attend to and process multiple stimuli or tasks simultaneously.

what is resource allocation theory?

More resources are taken up by a higher demanding task, there are less resources for other tasks. 

What cognitive load impact does the most recent model (Viding, 2004) discuss?

It discusses how the extent to which stimuli are ignored depends on the cognitive load of the selected stimuli.

What is the relationship between attention and working memory?

the relationship helps hold onto new information as it is encoded.

What is focused attention?

the ability to concentrate on a specific stimulus.

What leads to distractibility in individuals?

Distractibility can result from challenges in attention allocation and processing multiple stimuli.

What does sustained attention refer to?

the ability to maintain attention over long periods of time.

What effect does stress, illness, or fatigue have on attention?

They can impair attention and lead to difficulties in attending to tasks.

What is the impact of attending to stimuli of the same modality compared to different modalities?

Attending to stimuli of the same modality can cause a reduction in performance.

What is the significance of processing speed in memory encoding?

If processing speed is slow, details can be lost before they are fully encoded into memory.

Describe Selective Attention

Selectively process information while inhibiting competing stimuli

Describe Alternating Attention

involves moving attention from one task or stimulus to another.

What can Attention Impairments cause challenges with?

1. Attending to external stimuli (i.e., comatose patients) 

2. Decreased reaction time 

3. Reduced speed of information processing 

4. Longer to learn

5.  Difficulty w/ Concentrating, Multi-tasking, Accuracy 

6. Distractibility

Attention is closely associated with what?

Working Memory, Executive Function, Processing Speed.

What are the five types of attention? Which one has been eliminated for later models?

1. focused

2. sustained

3. selective

4. alternating

5. divided (later model eliminated this)

What is the Filter attenuation Theory?

1. Agrees that the target stimuli is selected and processed

2. Unselected is not completely filtered-out

3. Rather the unselected is attenuated.

ways to manipulate

the Capacity limitation models include _______ __________ ________ and _________ _________ ________

1. Dual –task experiments

2. Resource Allocation Theory

Attention is closely associated w/ working memory bc…

working memory allows for new information to be held as it is encoded. 

Attention is closely associated w/ Executive Function bc…

Ex. F. Helps decide what to attend to, help you switch attention, help you inhibit paying attention to distractions, etc. 

Attention is closely associated w/ Processing speed bc…

it involves how quickly you can process information. If it takes too long, you lose the info before it’s encoded

Working memory holds new information temporarily, but if processing speed is slow, details can be lost before they’re fully encoded.