CogPsych 4 -Attention and Consciousness

Flashcards covering the key vocabulary and concepts of Attention and Consciousness from Week 3 of Cognitive Psychology, including signal detection, search theories, selective and divided attention models, and clinical conditions like ADHD and spatial neglect.

Attention

The means by which we select and process a limited amount of information from the things we sense, our memories, and our other cognitive processes.

Conscious attention

Helps monitor our interactions with the

environment

Gives us continuity of experience

Helps us control and plan for future action

Consciousness

The feeling of awareness and the content of awareness; the experience at any given moment.

Signal detection

The process of detecting a specific stimulus among a mass of other distracting stimuli.

Signal-detection theory

a framework explaining how

people pick out the important stimuli among other

distracting stimuli

Hits

A possible outcome of signal detection where the stimuli is present and is successfully detected.

Miss

A possible outcome of signal detection where the stimuli is present but is not detected.

False positive

Also known as a false alarm; a signal detection outcome where the stimuli is absent but is detected.

Correct rejection

An outcome of signal detection where the stimuli is absent and is not detected.

Sensitivity

The criteria used to determine whether a stimulus is a distractor or not, measured as hits minus false positives.

Vigilance

The ability of a person to attend to a field of stimulation over a prolonged period to detect the appearance of a particular target of interest.

Misses; false positives

_____ increase and ________ decrease when

vigilance is maintained over a long period of time

Thalamus and especially amygdala

Brain parts involved in vigilance

Search

A scan of the environment for particular features or stimuli.

Distracters

Non-target stimuli that divert attention from the target stimulus.

Feature search

A type of search where the individual looks for just one specific feature.

Conjunction search

A type of search that involves combining two or more features to find the specific item being sought.

Feature-integration theory

A theory proposing two stages of search: Stage $1$ (automatic perception of basic features) and Stage $2$ (conscious attention to connect features).

Similarity theory

A search theory stating that the more similar distracters are to each other and to the target, the more difficult it is to find the target.

Selective Attention

The process of reacting to specific stimuli selectively when multiple stimuli are occurring simultaneously.

Cocktail party problem

The process of tracking one specific conversation while being distracted by others.

Shadowing

An experimental task where the participant is required to listen to two different messages.

Early Filter Model

A selective attention theory suggesting information is filtered right after it is noticed at the sensory level.

Selective Filter Model

A theory suggesting the filter blocks most sensory information, but highly important info can "break through" the filter.

Attenuation Model

A theory proposing that the filter minimizes or attenuates the strength of all stimuli other than the target stimulus rather than blocking them entirely.

Late Filter Model

A theory stating information is filtered only after being analyzed for both physical properties and meaning.

Preattentive processes

Also known as the feature detection process; physical properties of signals are detected automatically and in parallel using very little cognitive resources.

Attentive, controlled processes

Also known as the feature integration process; target signals are analyzed for meaning serially, requiring time and attentional resources.

Divided Attention

The ability to attend to two tasks simultaneously, often improved through practice.

Psychological Refractory Period (PRP) effect

The slowing in the speed of performance after a second task is introduced while an initial task is already being performed.

Rubber-necking

A factor in automobile accidents involving looking at crashes or other roadside events, accounting for $16\%$ of crashes in a $2002$ Virginia study.

Alerting

A subfunction of attention involving being prepared to attend to some incoming event.

Orienting

A subfunction of attention involving the selection of which stimuli to attend to.

Executive attention

A subfunction of attention that monitors and resolves conflicts among internal processes like thoughts, feelings, and responses.

Change blindness

The inability, common to all people, to detect changes in objects or scenes being viewed.

Inattentional blindness

A phenomenon where people are unable to see things that are actually present.

Spatial neglect

Also known as hemineglect; an attentional dysfunction where participants ignore half of their visual field contralateral to a brain lesion.

Extinction

A phenomenon where patients can perceive stimuli on either side individually, but cannot perceive them if present in both sides of the visual field simultaneously.

ADHD

; a condition characterized by difficulties in focusing attention to adapt optimally to the environment, with symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness.

Ritalin

A drug commonly used in the treatment of ADHD.

Automatic processes

Tasks performed without conscious awareness, requiring little to no effort or attention.

Parallel processes

Multiple automatic processes occurring at once or in quick succession without a particular sequence.

Controlled processes

Processes accessible to conscious control that are performed serially (one at a time).

Automatization

The process by which controlled processes become automatic as a result of practice.

Instance theory

An alternative theory of automatization suggesting it occurs through the gradual accumulation of knowledge about specific responses to specific stimuli.

Stroop effect

The delay in reaction time between automatic and controlled processing, demonstrated when reading color words that are incongruent with their font color.

Mistake

An error involving intentional, controlled processes.

Slip

An error occurring in automatic processes.

Preconscious Processing

Processing of information outside conscious awareness that remains available to consciousness, including stored memories and sensations.

Priming

A phenomenon where the introduction of one stimulus affects the cognitive processing of a second stimulus.

Tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon

Occurs when one attempts to retrieve a memory that is not readily retrieved.

Blindsight

Traces of visual ability in blind areas of the visual field, typically observed in individuals with lesions in the visual cortex.