Class notes
attention
- Course
- Institution
In depth lecture notes about attention/brain and cognition, may also contain diagrams and references- easy to understand layout great revision/exam prep
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
lozjones00
Reviews received
Content preview
WEEK 3 BRAIN AND COGNITION- attentionAttention – ability to focus on something, a cognitive process… ‘Everyone knows what attention is’-
WILLIAM JAMES… ‘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’. IT ENABLES US TO FOCUS ON ONE PARTICULAR STIMULUS
WITHOUT HAVING TO WASTE PRESCIOUS BRAIN RESOURCES ON IRRELEVANT STIMULI
Research on attention started in the 1950s (late)- it is strictly related with perception. Most research
focuses on visual attention and emphasis is given to external attention. This topic is very subjective
and is difficult to assess in a laboratory.
FORMS OF ATTENTION-
ACTIVE vs. PASSIVE
Active: Attention is controlled actively by the individual’s intentions, goals or
expectations (top-down)
Passive: Attention is controlled by external stimuli (bottom-up)
FOCUSED vs. DIVIDED
Focused (or selective attention): Attention is directed to one specific stimulus or task
among many other distracting (irrelevant) stimuli
Divided: Attention is directed to more than one stimulus or task at time
EXTERNAL vs. INTERNAL
External: Attention directed to the selection of sensory information (outside from
the mind)
Internal: Attention is directed to internally generated information (thoughts,
responses, memory)
OVERT vs. COVERT (only for visual attention)
Overt: eyes are directed to the object/space that is under focus of attention
Covert: eyes are directed elsewhere to the focus of attention
THE LINK BETWEEN PERCEPTION AND ATTENTION-
Attention plays a key role in determining which aspects of the environment are consciously
detected- however some information may cause other info to go completely unnoticed, even if it is
right in front of our eyes.
Change blindness- inability to perceive change between 2 scenes that are presented in succession
for a short time- RENSINK (1997)- spot a difference between 2 screens with a brief blank screen in
between.
Inattentional blindness- inability to spot obvious events happening whilst we are focusing
attentional resources on a given test- CHABRIS (1999)- following the ball then gorilla comes
Magic- magic tricks are a good illustration of how limited and selective our attention is- they exploit
change blindness and inattentional blindness- they deceive and misdirect our attention. E.g.
KUHN+TATLER (2005) cigarette and lighter trick (in the book) only 2 out of 10 noticed and still only 4
when repeated.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller lozjones00. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $7.77. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
66579 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now