PSYC 2150 - EXAM 2 QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED
ANSWERS
Properties of attention - Answers - - limited
- selective
attention is limited - Answers - not all sensory stimuli simultaneously get continued
processing
attention is selective - Answers - attention is selective because it is limited
consequence of selectivity (in attention) - Answers - you attend to the wrong thing
two models of attention - Answers - - early filter
- later filter
early filter model - Answers - every thing is processed for physical characteristics; the
only way to get past the filter is to pay attention to it
late filter model - Answers - you process physical characteristics and
semantics/meaning
Early results from cherry (about the early filter model) - Answers - - people dont
remember words from unshadowed ear
- people dont notice if speech is played backwards or if language changes
- people DO notice a pure tone/gap in speaking
cocktail party phenomenon - Answers - ability to focus on one stimulus while filtering out
other stimuli; works but only 1/3 of the time in lab
Indirect measures of the late filter model - GSR response (galvanic skin response) as a
response to shock (classical conditioning) - Answers - results: participants showed GSR
when stimulus was in unattended ear
Load theory - Answers - both early and late happen; the extent to which you hear/attend
to the stimulus from the unattended ear depends on the perceptual load of the attended
task
bottom up selection - Answers - attention that is driven by properties of the objects
themselves
salience - Answers - feature of the object that determines selective attention
, one selectively attends because the feature is - Answers - -physically salient
-meaningful
what strategies can be employed to avoid distraction? - Answers - 1) avoid distracting
stimuli
2) habituate
two types of top down selection - Answers - -overt (moving eyes)
- covert (not moving eyes)
top down- overt - Answers - - visual search
- you have a specific thing in mind that you want to attend to
in top down (over) search, searching by __ is relatively easy, searching by ___ is
difficult - Answers - color, meaning
Top down selection (covert) - Answers - attention without moving eyes
posner's beam metaphor - Answers - - said that attention is like a spotlight that
enhances perceptual processing
neural basis of the beam metaphor (top down- covert) - Answers - damage to different
parts of the brain support three separate processes: disengage, move, engage
damage to "disengage" process is due to ___; results? - Answers - posterior parietal
cortex
results:
-valid trial: ok on either side
- invalid: really bad on contralateral
damage to "move" process is due to ____; results? - Answers - superior colliculus
results:
-valid trials: very slow to show advantage of cue, but still show it
- invalid trials: slow but not a special problem
damage to the "engage" process is due to; results? - Answers - thalamas
results:
- valid: don't seem to use cue
- invalid: dont seem to use cue (easily distracted)
how to deal with limited attention - Answers - - automaticity of visual perception
- switching in complex tasks
ANSWERS
Properties of attention - Answers - - limited
- selective
attention is limited - Answers - not all sensory stimuli simultaneously get continued
processing
attention is selective - Answers - attention is selective because it is limited
consequence of selectivity (in attention) - Answers - you attend to the wrong thing
two models of attention - Answers - - early filter
- later filter
early filter model - Answers - every thing is processed for physical characteristics; the
only way to get past the filter is to pay attention to it
late filter model - Answers - you process physical characteristics and
semantics/meaning
Early results from cherry (about the early filter model) - Answers - - people dont
remember words from unshadowed ear
- people dont notice if speech is played backwards or if language changes
- people DO notice a pure tone/gap in speaking
cocktail party phenomenon - Answers - ability to focus on one stimulus while filtering out
other stimuli; works but only 1/3 of the time in lab
Indirect measures of the late filter model - GSR response (galvanic skin response) as a
response to shock (classical conditioning) - Answers - results: participants showed GSR
when stimulus was in unattended ear
Load theory - Answers - both early and late happen; the extent to which you hear/attend
to the stimulus from the unattended ear depends on the perceptual load of the attended
task
bottom up selection - Answers - attention that is driven by properties of the objects
themselves
salience - Answers - feature of the object that determines selective attention
, one selectively attends because the feature is - Answers - -physically salient
-meaningful
what strategies can be employed to avoid distraction? - Answers - 1) avoid distracting
stimuli
2) habituate
two types of top down selection - Answers - -overt (moving eyes)
- covert (not moving eyes)
top down- overt - Answers - - visual search
- you have a specific thing in mind that you want to attend to
in top down (over) search, searching by __ is relatively easy, searching by ___ is
difficult - Answers - color, meaning
Top down selection (covert) - Answers - attention without moving eyes
posner's beam metaphor - Answers - - said that attention is like a spotlight that
enhances perceptual processing
neural basis of the beam metaphor (top down- covert) - Answers - damage to different
parts of the brain support three separate processes: disengage, move, engage
damage to "disengage" process is due to ___; results? - Answers - posterior parietal
cortex
results:
-valid trial: ok on either side
- invalid: really bad on contralateral
damage to "move" process is due to ____; results? - Answers - superior colliculus
results:
-valid trials: very slow to show advantage of cue, but still show it
- invalid trials: slow but not a special problem
damage to the "engage" process is due to; results? - Answers - thalamas
results:
- valid: don't seem to use cue
- invalid: dont seem to use cue (easily distracted)
how to deal with limited attention - Answers - - automaticity of visual perception
- switching in complex tasks
