Human Attention

What are the Types of Attention?

What is the Spotlight Model?

metaphor for focused attention

only what the spotlight illuminates can be seen, everything else is in the dark

What is Working Memory?

determined by focused attention

the information we focus on is brought to the foreground of our awareness

What is Selective Attention?

the ability to focus attention on one stimulus while ignoring distractions

filter model - selective filter in processing of sensory ‘data’, only selected data becomes processed further

visual attention control - overt attention (where we look), covert attention (what we notice in the periphery)

What is Auditory Attention Control?

attenuation model - information isn’t filtered but volume is turned down

cocktail party effect - ability to focus on one conversation, still processing others in the background, attention to the familiar

What is Top-Down Attention?

based on our goals, intentions and expectations

internal cues/triggers

What is Bottom-Up Attention?

driven by sensory stimuli

external cues

involuntary

What is a Saliency Map?

an image in which the brightness of a pixel represents saliency

highlights regions of interest

What is the Multiple Resource Theory?

• processing stages

  • perception and cognition draw on shared resources (working memory)

  • but we can attend to new stimuli while responding to prior ones

• modality

  • different modalities draw on different resources: audio, video, tactile, …

• visual processing

  • different resources for foveal processing and peripheral awareness

• codes

  • different resources for information that is spatial versus semantic

What is Inattentional Blindness?

not noticing information that is in plain view because we are not directing any attention to it

What is Change Blindness?

not noticing changes that have been introduced into the visual scene

can happen when they coincide with an interruption of the visual perception