attention - fundamentals of psychology 2 - lecture 8

1Fundamentals of Psychology 2 (4PS038)

UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

1

37

Simon Bignell

Psychology, School of Science

Unit 3: Cognitive Psychology

Attention

Spring 2010

Lecture 8


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

2

37

Simon Bignell


Learning outcomes

On completion of the module you will be able to:• Demonstrate an understanding of empirical

research and theories in:– Developmental Psychology– Abnormal Psychology– Cognitive Psychology

• Demonstrate an ability to present, explain and summarise information.


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

3

37

Simon Bignell


The module teamModule Lecturers• Simon Bignell: Room N208; Telephone: 01332 593043; email:

[email protected] (Module Leader)

• Anna Maria DiBetta: Room N208; Telephone: 01332 593080; email: [email protected]

• Lovemore Nyatanga: Room N204a; Telephone: 01332 593057; email: [email protected]

Module Seminar Leaders

Above plus the following Post-Graduate Teaching Assistants• Atiya Kamal: Room N302; email: [email protected]• Lauren Kelly: Room N302; email: [email protected]


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

4

37

Simon Bignell


Recommended textbooks• Passer, M, Smith, R., Holt, N., Bremmer, A.,

Sutherland, E. and Vliek, M. (2008). Psychology: The science of mind and behaviour, London: McGraw Hill.

• For Unit 3: Chapters 5, 12 & 17. – Pages 201-203, 550-551 & 831

Additional / Alternative texts:• Eysenck, M. W., & Keane, M. T. (2010).

Cognitive Psychology. A student's handbook. 6th edition. Hove: Psychology Press. (or 5th Edition)


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

5

37

Simon Bignell


Components of the module

Unit 3: Cognitive Psychology: • Attention (SB)

• Perception (AMD)

• Memory (AMD)

• Language (AMD)


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

6

37

Simon Bignell


What is Cognitive Psychology

Cognitive Psychology: is the branch of psychology that studies mental processes including how people think, perceive, remember and learn.

As part of the larger field of cognitive science, this branch of psychology is related to other disciplines including neuroscience, philosophy, and linguistics.


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

7

37

Simon Bignell


Attention Topics

• The Role of Attention

• Visual Attention

• Auditory Attention

• Theories of Selective Attention

• Everyday & Clinical problems of Attention.


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

8

37

Simon Bignell


The Role of Attention

• Sternberg (1999): ‘Attention acts as a means of focusing limited mental resources on the information and cognitive processes that are most salient at a given moment’.

• Attention is a mental process that requires mental resources to direct and focus mental processes

• These mental resources are limited; the more attention one tasks requires the less available for performing others


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

9

37

Simon Bignell



“Everyone knows what attention is. It is the taking possession of the mind, in clear and vivid form, of one out of what seem several simultaneously possible objects or trains of thought. Focalisation, concentration, of consciousness are of its essence.”

James (1890), pp 403-404.


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

10

37

Simon Bignell



• Focused attention - ability to respond to specific visual, auditory or tactile stimuli in a discrete manner.

• Sustained attention - ability to maintain a consistent behavioral response during continuous and repetitive activity.

• Divided attention - paying attention to more than one thing at one time. This ability is limited, which has an impact on how much we can process at once

• Selective attention - focusing on specific objects and filtering out others. The ability to attend to one source of information while ignoring or excluding ongoing messages around us.


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

11

37

Simon Bignell



• Inattentional Blindness: a stimulus is not perceived even when the person is looking directly at it (e.g. Simons and Chabris)

• Change Blindness: difficulty in detecting changes in scenes


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

12

37

Simon Bignell


• Cannot take in all visual information at once.– Therefore shift attention around environment to focus on

important sources of information.

• ‘Spotlight’ metaphor– Attention is like a spotlight which moves about and allows

us to selectively attend to parts of the visual world.– Michael Posner (1980) suggested that enhanced

processing/detection occurs within this ‘spotlight’.

• So attention is directed towards ‘space’ according to the spotlight model. It is a space-based model of attention.

Visual Attention


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

13

37

Simon Bignell


Pop-out (texture)

+

V

VV V

V

V

V

VV

V

V

T

V

V

V

VV


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

14

37

Simon Bignell


Pop-out (more texture)

+V V

V

VVV

VV

V

V

V

V

VV

V

V

V

V

V

VV V

VV

V

V

V

V

VV

V

V

T


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

15

37

Simon Bignell


Pop-out (harder texture)

+

V

VV

VV

V

V

V

V

V V

V

V

V

V

V

V

V

VV

VV V

V

V

V

V

VV

V

V

V

Y


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

16

37

Simon Bignell


Pop-out (color)

+V

V

V

V

V

V

V

V V

V

V

V

V

V

V

V

VV

VV V

V

V

V

V

VV

V

V

VV


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

17

37

Simon Bignell


Pop-out (color + texture)

+T

V

V

V

V

V

V

V V

V

T

V

V

V

V

V

TV

VT V

T

V

V

V

TT

T

V

TV


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

18

37

Simon Bignell


Pop-out (layout)

+

T T T T T T T

T T T T T T

T T T T T T T

T T T T T T T

T T T T T T T

T T T T T T T

T

04/09/23 Fundamentals of Psychology 2 (4PS038)

UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

19

37

Simon Bignell


Visual Pop-Out:RT does not increase with Display Size

Find the blue “S”• Easy:

X T X T X T S X T X X X T T X T

• Just as Easy:

X T X T T T X T

X T X X T X T T

T X S T X X T X

X X T X T X T X

T X T T X T X T

04/09/23 Fundamentals of Psychology 2 (4PS038)

UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

20

37

Simon Bignell


No Visual Pop-Out:RT increases with Display Size

Find the green “T”• Hard:

X T X T

X T T X

T X X X

T T X T

• Even Harder:

X T X T T T X T

X T X X T X T T

T X X T X T T X

X X T X T X T X

T X T T X T X T


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

21

37

Simon Bignell


• Attentional shifts from one target to another can be achieved:– Overtly: overt movement of head and/or

eyes– Covertly: internal shift of attention, in

conditions where there is no time for eye movements.

Visual Attention


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

22

37

Simon Bignell


Auditory Attention

In contrast to visual attention (where you are looking), auditory information is received simultaneously.

Need to focus on information that is important and ignore information that is not important - listen selectively.

Auditory attention “filters” information.


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

23

37

Simon Bignell


• Illustrated by the Cocktail Party Effect (Cherry, 1953):– Ability to listen selectively to one

conversation during a party while ignoring the noise going on around you.

• Imagine you are talking to some people at a party. Suddenly someone says your name in another part of the room.

• You are able to immediately detect this, and switch your attention to that part of the room.

Auditory Attention


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

24

37

Simon Bignell


• Dichotic listening task:– Different messages are presented to each of

a participant’s ears– S/he is asked to shadow or repeat one of the

messages ‘on-line’– Questions about the message in the

unattended ear.• Only the physical characteristics of unattended

message could be reported, e.g. gender of voice (Cherry, 1953).

Auditory Attention


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

25

37

Simon Bignell


Demonstrating Selective Attention Only read the words in capitals:

IT what is IS most QUITE surprising AMAZING is that HOW not only PEOPLE can ARE you ABLE focus TO attention SELECTIVELY on FOCUS one of THEIR the messages ATTENTION but ON you PARTICULAR are SOURCES completely OF unaware INFORMATION of AND the IGNORE other one OTHERS.


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

26

37

Simon Bignell


Theories of Selective Attention

1.Early Selective Attention, ‘Filter theory’ (Broadbent, 1958)

2. Attenuation theory (Treisman, 1960)

3. Late-selection theory (Deutsch & Deutsch, 1963)


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

27

37

Simon Bignell


Theories of Selective Attention

1. Different sources of information detected and filtered early.

2. Different sources of information detected and some sources attenuated.

3. No filtering, but conscious selection between alternatives.


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

28

37

Simon Bignell


Filter is bottleneck that prevents system exceeding capacity by blocking some input.

Filter based on physical characteristics of signal: location of source; pitch; loudness; speed.

Only filtered material is analysed for meaning.

1. Early Selective Attention (Broadbent, 1958)


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

29

37

Simon Bignell


• In Broadbent’s view, the auditory mechanism acts as a selective filter; regardless of how many competing channels or messages are coming in.

– The filter can be tuned, or switched, to any one of the messages, based on characteristics such as loudness or pitch.

1. Early Selective Attention (Broadbent, 1958)


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

30

37

Simon Bignell


2. Attenuation theory(Treisman, 1960)• Input processed in terms of physical and linguistic properties and meaning.• Some inputs are attenuated (or backgrounded).• Some aspects of meaning (i.e. words that have high subjective importance) are easily attended to in attenuated messages.


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

31

37

Simon Bignell


2. Attenuation theory(Treisman, 1960)

• Treisman rejected the ‘early selection’ notion embodied in Broadbent’s theory.

• She claimed that all incoming messages receive some amount of low-level analysis, including the analysis of the physical characteristics of the message.• When the unattended messages yield no useful or important information, those messages are attenuated; they are weakened in their importance to ongoing processing.


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

32

37

Simon Bignell


Rejects assumption that limited capacity processor needs a filter.

Selection for action rather than selection for attention.

Sensory inputs are processed completely & analysed in terms of current importance.

Important inputs are consciously “perceived”.

3. Late selection theory(Deutsch & Deutsch, 1963)


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

33

37

Simon Bignell


A Disorder of Attention: Hemineglect

• Hemineglect: A disruption or decreased ability to look at something in the (often) left field of vision and pay attention to it.

• Thus, hemineglect is a disorder of attention in which one half of the perceptual world is neglected to some degree and cannot be attended to as completely or accurately as normal.


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

34

37

Simon Bignell


Drawings copied by a patient with contralateral neglect

ImpulsivenessImpulsiveness

InattentionInattention

Combined Combined typetype

Hyperactive- Hyperactive- Impulsive typeImpulsive type

InattentiveInattentive

typetype

HyperactivityHyperactivity

61%30% 9%

Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

36

37

Simon Bignell


• Problems with response inhibition

• Hyperactivity/Impulsivity– poor self-monitored behaviour.– always ‘on the go’, fidget, restless. – cannot sit still, doesn’t wait for others.– Impatient, always talking, difficulty delaying responses.

• Inattention– chronic problems with sustained attention.– poor concentration and attention to detail.– does not settle to anything, completing things.– poor ability to organise activities or to engage in tedious

activities, or tasks requiring sustained mental effort.

Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder


UN

DE

RG

RA

DU

AT

E

37

37

Simon Bignell


Summary

• The Role of Attention

• Visual Attention

• Auditory Attention

• Theories of Selective Attention

• Everyday & Clinical problems of Attention.

attention - fundamentals of psychology 2 - lecture 8

Education