Attention

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Attention
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Divided Attention

• Attempt to pay attention to 1 thing at a time
• Research suggests it is possible, but we are
  limited in how much we can handle at once
• Cell phone research indicates increased risk
  while driving not due to use of hands
• More complex driving situations yield more
  impairment from cell phones inattentional
  blindness

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demo

• focused attention demo

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Divided Attention

• Practice allows tasks to be done with less
  attention required (more automatically), which
  allows more to be done at once

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Selective Attention

• Usual research setup dichotic
  listeningheadphones, attend one ear only,
  shadowing task
• Much of unattended message not perceived, but
  gender of speaker, hearing own name, and some
  meaning can get through sometimes

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Selective Attention

• Working memory and cocktail party effect those
  with low working memory more likely to notice
  name than those with high working memory
  capacity why? Good working memory may imply good
  focusing ability (they block out other stimuli
  such as their name more effectively)

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Selective Attention

• Stroop effect color names written in different
  color inkslows down naming of ink color
• Stroop Test online
• Neuroscience for Kids - The Stroop Effect
• One explanation reading is so automatic we
  cant suppress accessing written color name, and
  it interferes with naming ink color

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Selective Attention

• Emotional Stroop task if some stimuli are
  things subject has phobia about, it slows down
  naming of ink colors
• In previous chapter change blindness
  inattentional blindness
• Attentional blink too rapid stimulus
  presentationcan perceive first stimulus but
  miss second one

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Selective Attention

• Isolated feature/combined feature effect target
  search involving just one feature is fast whether
  few or many distractors if search is for
  conjunction of features (blue X among red X O
  blue O) number of distractors matters a lot
  search is slower in general

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Selective Attention

• Feature present/feature absent effect positive
  info easier than negative info present object
  pops out from display, but looking for absence
  of target requires focused attention is slower

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Saccadic Eye Movements

• Purpose to bring objects in focus on fovea, to
  be clearly seen during a fixation
• Perceptual span is lopsided 4 spaces to left
  15 spaces to right of fixation point
• Cant usually identify a word more than 8 spaces
  to right of fixation point

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Explanations for Attention

• Some subcortical areas involved in controlling
  attention (as mentioned in Stroop Task page)
• Cortical areas posterior anterior networks
• Posterior network involved in visual search
  attention control

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Explanations for Attention

• Anterior network allows us to inhibit automatic
  responses to stimuli

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Theories of Attention

• Bottleneck theories one stage of processing at
  which only small amount of info can get through
• Overly simplistic does not capture complexity
  flexibility of attention processes

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Theories of Attention

• Automatic vs. Controlled processing
• Automatic most likely on easy tasks, with much
  practice, is parallel
• Controlled most likely on hard tasks, new
  tasks, is serial
• Consider driving for beginning vs. experienced
  driver

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Theories of Attention

• Feature-integration theory
• Distributed attention (like automatic)
  effortless
• Focused attention (like controlled) allows
  integration of different features (e.g., shape,
  color, name of object)

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Theories of Attention

• Illusory conjunction when attention overloaded,
  may confuse which features go together (could
  combine one objects color with another objects
  shape)
• Binding problem combining the various features
  into one perceptual whole different brain areas
  send their info, other areas combine

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Consciousness

• Awareness of external world and internal mental
  processes
• Many processes not at conscious level
• Thought suppression doesnt work!
• Ironic effects of mental control can be rebound
  effect

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Consciousness

• Blindsight vision without awareness of vision
• Caused by damage to primary visual cortex, which
  apparently must be activated to produce awareness
  of vision other brain areas still can process
  locational other aspects of visual scene