Attention

I. Selective Attention:

II. Dichotic Listening Task:

• Task:

• First experiments:

• When asked what the unattended message was...

Did notice:

1)

 

2)

 

3)

 

Did not notice:

1)

 

2)

 

3)

 

4)

Theories of Attention-

A. Filter Theory: (Broadbent, 1958)

Problems with Filter Theory:

1. Cocktail Party Effect:

2. Contextual Effects:

e.g. Left ear: "The trees on the left/barking at the mailman."

Right ear: "The noisy dog was/side were dropping leaves."

3. Unconscious Processing:

 

B. Attenuation Theory: (Treisman, 1960)

• Part 1 of Theory:

 

 

 

 

 

• Part 2 of Theory:

• Each word has a different threshold level

• Naturally low thresholds

• Priming:

e.g. "The dog chased the…"

 

 

 

 

 

C. Late-Selection Theory (Deutsch & Deutsch, 1963)

• "importance" depends on:

• context:

• personal significance:

• level of alertness

D. Multimode theory: (Johnston & Heinz, 1978).

• Attention is flexible

e.g. early--

late --

 

• tested in experiment:

 

Task 1: normal shadowing task

Task 2: detect and respond w/key to lights

 

group A:

 

 

group B:

 

 

Results:

E. Capacity Theory: (Kahneman, 1973)

 

•  

 

 

e.g.

• Parts of the model:

• arousal-

• enduring dispositions-

• momentary intentions-