Psych 3313 Chapter 13 Part 2 Cognition

What is selective attention?

The ability to focus on relevant stimuli while ignoring irrelevant or distracting information. It limits attention to specific inputs among multiple sensory options.

What are the two methods by which selective attention occurs?

• Voluntary (Top-down): Internally driven, intentional focus • Reflexive (Bottom-up): Automatic, triggered by external stimuli

What is sustained attention?

The ability to maintain focused attention over a period of time (vigilance).

What is divided attention?

The ability to process or respond to multiple tasks or stimuli simultaneously; multitasking.

What is the difference between selective, sustained, and divided attention?

• Selective: Choosing one focus and filtering out others • Sustained: Maintaining focus over time • Divided: Attending to more than one task at once

What is cognitive control?

Executive control over thoughts and actions, allowing prioritization and suppression of automatic responses.

When is cognitive control necessary?

During decision conflicts, distraction, multitasking, adapting to unexpected outcomes, and when an automatic response must be overridden.

What is the 5-Choice Serial Reaction Time Task (5CSRTT)?

A task measuring selective and divided attention by requiring subjects to respond to brief, randomly presented stimuli at one of five locations.

What is the 5-Choice Continuous Performance Test (5C-CPT)?

A task used to measure sustained attention and impulse control by responding to target stimuli while ignoring distractors.

How does the Orbitofrontal Cortex (OFC) contribute to decision making?

Evaluates rewards and punishments, impulse control, flexible strategy switching, and encoding action-outcome associations; involved in regret and unexpected outcomes.

How does the Medial Prefrontal Cortex (MPFC) contribute to decision making?

Compares values between choices, supports impulse control, and monitors response-outcome relationships.

How does the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC) contribute to decision making?

Monitors conflict, detects errors, performs cost-benefit analysis, and activates when outcomes are unexpected or feedback indicates adjustment is needed.

How does the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC) contribute to decision making?

Involved in complex reasoning, evaluation of risky choices, rule switching, and learning from failure; greater activation improves performance after errors.

Which brain area becomes active when outcomes occur unexpectedly?

The Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC)

Which brain area allows adaptation and strategy switching after unexpected outcomes?

Orbitofrontal Cortex (OFC)

Which brain area supports improved performance after failure?

Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC)

What are the two steps of decision making?

Assess the relative value of available options and make a choice based on emotional and rational assessment.

How do emotions influence human decision making?

People avoid outcomes that cause regret and often choose emotionally reinforced options rather than purely rational ones.