Deck 4: Attention

Question 1

General alertness/basic arousal is controlled (at least in part) by:

A) Thalamus
B) Reticular activating system
C) Corpus callosum
D) Cerebellum

Answer 1

Reticular activating system

Question 2

________ refers to a gradual reduction of the orienting response back to baseline with repeated stimulation

A) Inhibition of return
B) Inhibition
C) Habituation
D) Automatic processing

Answer 2

Habituation

Question 3

The cocktail party effect refers to:

A) The ability to pay attention to one message while ignoring the other
B) The inability to pay attention to a message if another message is also being presented
C) The inability to pay attention to speech in a crowded room
D) The ability to perform multiple tasks simultaneously

Answer 3

The ability to pay attention to one message while ignoring the other

Question 4

Marina and Jacob are having dinner in a crowded restaurant. Although it is very noisy, Jacob can ignore everyone else in the room and listen only to what Marina is saying. Jacob is engaging in:

A) Automatic processing
B) Selective attention
C) Orienting
D) Divided attention

Question 5

In the Stroop task, which of the following causes interference?

A) Shape naming
B) Colour naming
C) Overlapping features
D) Reading

Question 6

We can perform early, middle, or late selection; but later selection is more resource demanding than earlier selection would be. This statement best describes the:

A) Pertinence model
B) Attentional attenuation theory
C) Filter theory
D) Multimodal model of attention

Question 7

Which of the following requires attention in a visual search task?

A) Conjunction search
B) Disjunction search
C) Both conjunction and disjunction search
D) Attention is not needed in visual search

Question 8

A mental process that restrains behaviour or impedes another mental process:

A) Orienting reflex
B) Inhibition
C) Attenuation
D) Selective attention

Question 9

Facilitates search by discouraging re-inspections:

A) Selective attention
B) Orienting reflex
C) Inhibition of return
D) Conjunctive search

Question 10

What would be the easiest target to find in a visual search task?

A) A blue "X" among blue "Os" and green "Xs"
B) A blue circle among blue triangles
C) A green circle among green squares and blue circles
D) A red circle among red ovals and blue circles

Question 11

Which is true of spotlight attention?

A) Allows objects in a large area to be attended to simultaneously
B) Enhances the detection of events within its beam
C) Provides the encoding route into the auditory system
D) Reliant on the voluntary allocation of mental effort or concentration

Question 12

Deutch & Deutch claimed that selection takes place only after full acoustic and semantic analysis. This theory suggests:

A) Type I selection
B) Late selection
C) Multimodal model of attention
D) Primary selection

Question 13

Broadbent's filter theory of attention argues that the attended message is filtered based on:

A) Physical characteristics
B) Meaning
C) Pertinence
D) Speed of presentation

Question 14

In a shadowing task, the fact that some participants detected the semantic content of the message in the unattended channel was a problem for ________.

A) Early selection theories
B) Late selection theories
C) Multimodal model of attention
D) Norman's pertinence model

Question 15

Based on the results of his spatial cueing experiment, Posner concluded that subjects' switching of the focus of attention reflected:

A) Involuntary eye movements
B) Iconic memory
C) A cognitive phenomenon
D) Habituation

Question 16

Norman's pertinence model is described as relying on sensory activation and ________.

A) Pertinence
B) Selection
C) Attention
D) Transitory factors

Question 17

Where does selective attention operate in Johnston & Heinz's multimodal model of attention?

A) Early
B) Early or middle
C) Middle or late
D) Anywhere, just costs more later

Question 18

According to the multimodal model of attention?

A) Earlier selection is more demanding than later selection.
B) Late selection reflects bottom-up processing
C) Selective attention is flexible
D) Shorter response times are produced when it is harder to selectively attend to just one of the messages

Question 19

In attentional blink experiments, if the number of items between identical letters decreases, the probability of detecting the second target:

A) Becomes unreliable
B) Does not change
C) Increases
D) Decreases

Question 20

Which of the following best describes spatial cueing?

A) Spotlight view
B) Multimodal view
C) Late selection view
D) Early selection view

Question 21

Which of the following is true?

A) An automatic process does not reveal itself to conscious awareness.
B) An automatic process is usually fairly slow to be initiated
C) A fully automatic process uses many conscious resources.
D) An automatic process can easily be stopped from occuring.

Question 22

The Stroop effect illustrates:

A) Selective attention requires a high level of effort
B) Automatic processes interfere with controlled processes
C) Automaticity occurs rapidly and with little practice
D) Selective attention can never occur alongside automatic processes

Question 23

Inhibition of return:

A) Reflects the ability to refocus attention on a previously presented stimuli
B) Allows only pertinent information to pass through the attentional filter
C) Lasts for approximately 250 milliseconds
D) Facilitates search by discouraging re-inspections

Question 24

Patients with hemineglect were asked to imagine they were standing in the centre of a familiar Italian piazza. First, they were asked to describe what they could see while facing the cathedral. Then they were asked to imagine they were facing the opposite direction and to again describe what they could see.

A) Neglect does not occur in imagery so they could describe both the left and right side of the piazza
B) They described only the right side while facing the cathedral, but could describe both sides when they turned around
C) Regardless of which direction they were facing, they could only describe what was on their right side
D) They had difficulty describing any of the scene using imagery

Question 25

Louise moved to a new home that is very close to the airport. Although at first she found the noise of the planes disturbing, lately she realizes she hardly even notices it. Louise is demonstrating:

A) Habituation
B) Selective attention
C) Orienting
D) Automatic processing

Question 26

Yolanda works at the local farm. When she gets home her family often comment that she smells strongly of the animals. Yolanda, however, cannot detect any animal smell at all. This is an example of:

A) Sensory adaptation
B) Sensory deprivation
C) Habituation
D) An impaired sense of smell

Question 27

This model of attention proposes that attention is flexible, and selection can occur from quite early to quite late:

A) Broadbent's filter model
B) Mulitmode model
C) Treisman's attenuation model
D) Norman's pertinence model

Question 28

We can perform early, middle, or late selection; but later selection is more resource demanding than earlier selection would be.

Question 29

Patients with hemineglect can describe the left side of scenes encountered before their brain damage by using visual imagery.

Question 30

Automaticity is always an advantage.

Question 31

According to Broadbent's filter theory of attention, only attended to information gets past the filtering mechanism.

Question 32

Treisman's attenuation theory can be thought of an an early selection theory of attention.

Question 33

Some aspects of the psychological refractory period and attentional blink are thought to reflect the same process.

Question 34

Limitations seen in the attentional blink have only been observed in the visual modality.

Question 35

Attentional resources are generally believed to be unlimited.

Question 36

The two important variables for Norman's pertinence theory are ________ and ________.

Question 37

List the four meanings of attention presented in your textbook.

Question 38

Define a conjunctive search.

Question 39

Define a dual-task procedure.

Question 40

Provide three characteristics of controlled processing.

Question 41

When a word automatically activates its meaning in memory and, as a result, activates an associated word, it is referred to as ________.

Question 42

In Posner's spatial cueing task, which cue produced the fastest reaction times, no cue, valid cue, or invalid cue?

Question 43

Norman's (1968) pertinence model depends upon ________ and pertinence.

Question 44

________ processes are rapid, not dependent on intent, and place few demands on attentional resources.

Question 45

Describe two pieces of evidence against "early selection."

Question 46

(i) Describe Shiffrin and Schneider's consistent versus varied mapping experiment. (ii) What does this experiment tell us about automaticity?

Question 47

Discuss three of the five properties necessary for inhibition of return to facilitate search.

Question 48

Describe the main differences between Broadbent's Filter theory of attention and Treisman's Attenuation theory of attention.

Question 49

In different sports, e.g., tennis or soccer, players might carefully watch their opponent as they prepare to hit/kick the ball. Based on Posner's spatial cueing paradigm, why do you think this could be a helpful strategy, and what are its implications for the player and his/her opponent?

Question 50

Describe the three characteristics Posner and Snyder say are necessary to conclude a process is automatic.