Attention Attention (in the visual system) (in the visual system) RESEARCH IN COGNITIVE SCIENCE RESEARCH IN COGNITIVE SCIENCE Sept. 14, 2009 Sept. 14, 2009 S. VANGKILDE CENTER FOR VISUAL COGNITION UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN Signe A. Vangkilde, Cand.psych., Ph.d.-stip. Signe A. Vangkilde, Cand.psych., Ph.d.-stip. University of Copenhagen University of Copenhagen Center for Visual Cognition Center for Visual Cognition
S. VANGKILDE CENTER FOR VISUAL COGNITION UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN. Attention (in the visual system). RESEARCH IN COGNITIVE SCIENCE Sept. 14, 2009. Signe A. Vangkilde, Cand.psych., Ph.d.-stip. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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AttentionAttention(in the visual system)(in the visual system)
RESEARCH IN COGNITIVE SCIENCE RESEARCH IN COGNITIVE SCIENCE Sept. 14, 2009Sept. 14, 2009
S. VANGKILDE CENTER FOR VISUAL COGNITION UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN
Signe A. Vangkilde, Cand.psych., Ph.d.-stip.Signe A. Vangkilde, Cand.psych., Ph.d.-stip.
University of CopenhagenUniversity of Copenhagen Center for Visual Center for Visual CognitionCognition
AttentionAttention
“Everyone knows what attention is.It is the taking possession by the mind, in clear
and vivid form, of one out of what seem several simultaneously possible objects or trains of
thought.Focalization, concentration of consciousness are
of its essence.It implies withdrawal from some things in order to
deal effectively with others, and is a condition which has a real opposite in the confused, dazed,
scatterbrain state …” (James 1890, p. 247)
S. VANGKILDE CENTER FOR VISUAL COGNITION UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN
A descriptionA description
The amount of information that impinges on our sense organs is much larger that what can be handled processed and responded to.
Attention is a way of appropriately allocating our limited resources to the relevant stimuli.
Attention facilitates the processing of relevant stimuli/thoughts/actions whereas irrelevant ones are ignored.
S. VANGKILDE CENTER FOR VISUAL COGNITION UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN
Different kinds of attentionDifferent kinds of attention
S. VANGKILDE CENTER FOR VISUAL COGNITION UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN
► Attention studies use a vast number of Attention studies use a vast number of different paradigms that mainly focus on:different paradigms that mainly focus on: Orientation of attentionOrientation of attention Focused attentionFocused attention Divided attentionDivided attention Sustained attentionSustained attention
► However, the distinctions could be drawn However, the distinctions could be drawn differently and the experimental and differently and the experimental and theoretical tradition that scientists adhere theoretical tradition that scientists adhere to also counts… to also counts…
Central dichotomiesCentral dichotomies
► Automatic vs. controlled processing
► Early vs. late selection
► Parallel vs. serial processing
S. VANGKILDE CENTER FOR VISUAL COGNITION UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN
S. VANGKILDE CENTER FOR VISUAL COGNITION UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN
All information enters a sensory buffer The physical characteristics of a stimulus decides
whether it passes through the filter and is processed further
The input that is filtered out quickly decays and doesn’t put any demands on the processing resources
S. VANGKILDE CENTER FOR VISUAL COGNITION UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN
Early selection, or?Early selection, or?► Moray (1959)
… but at a cocktail party we often react to our name or other subjectively relevant stimuli even though we are not attending to the source of these inputs
”Intrusion of the unattended”
This suggests that unattended stimuli are indeed processed semantically and not just filtered on the basis of physical features
S. VANGKILDE CENTER FOR VISUAL COGNITION UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN
Late selectionLate selection► Deutch & Deutch (1963)
Attended and ignored inputs are processed equivalently by the perceptual system, reaching a stage of semantic encoding and analysis
Only when the inputs requires a respons selection occurs limitation concerns the amount of input that can trigger a respons
Consequence: Attention does not influence processing
S. VANGKILDE CENTER FOR VISUAL COGNITION UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN
The Attenuation TheoryThe Attenuation Theory► Treisman (1964)
Modification of Broadbent’s early selection Deselected stimuli are not completely gated
from higher analysis but merely attenuated Attenuation = reduction in the signal strength
S. VANGKILDE CENTER FOR VISUAL COGNITION UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN
Attended input
Un-attended
input
Attenuation filter
TVATVA
A Theory of Visual AttentionA Theory of Visual Attention