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Next Tuesday Read article by Anne Treisman

Attention

Information Theory Donald Broadbent - earliest systematic investigations of selective attention First principle of human information processing: capacity is limited

Information Theory Donald Broadbent - earliest systematic investigations of selective attention Second principle of human information processing: information sources can be selected

Stages of Selection Broadbent: Early Selection - a bottleneck exists early in the course of sensory processing that filters out all but the attended channel Alternative theory: Late Selection - the bottleneck exists not at the lowest stages, but at the highest - such as response planning, memory and consciousness

Stages of Selection Shadowing Task: ignore one input, repeat back the other Subjects are largely unaware of unshadowed message but… Certain words such as their name distract them!? Why is this puzzling?

Orienting Attention

Control of Attention Major Distinctions: VoluntaryReflexive

Control of Attention Major Distinctions: VoluntaryReflexive Overt Covert

Voluntary Orienting Attention can be oriented covertly –a commonly used metaphor is “the spotlight of attention”

Orienting Attention Posner Cue - Target Paradigm: Subject presses a button as soon as x appears

Orienting Attention Posner Cue - Target Paradigm:

Orienting Attention Posner Cue - Target Paradigm:

Orienting Attention Posner Cue - Target Paradigm:

Orienting Attention Posner Cue - Target Paradigm: X

Orienting Attention Posner Cue - Target Paradigm:

Orienting Attention Posner Cue - Target Paradigm: That was a validly cued trial because the x appeared in the box that flashed

Orienting Attention Posner Cue - Target Paradigm:

Orienting Attention Posner Cue - Target Paradigm:

Orienting Attention Posner Cue - Target Paradigm:

Orienting Attention Posner Cue - Target Paradigm: X

Orienting Attention Posner Cue - Target Paradigm:

Orienting Attention Posner Cue - Target Paradigm: That was an invalidly cued trial because the x appeared in the box that didn’t flash

Orienting Attention Difference in response time (RT) or accuracy (%) is taken to indicate cost of having to reorient attention

Reflexive Orienting Attention can be automatically “summoned” to a location at which an important event has occurred:

Reflexive Orienting Attention can be automatically “summoned” to a location at which an important event has occurred: –Loud noise –Motion –New Object We call this attentional capture Contrast this to voluntary goal-directed orienting Is the Posner Cue-Target Paradigm testing reflexive or voluntary attention? Transients

Reflexive Orienting The Posner cueing paradigm (with blinking boxes) confounds reflexive and voluntary orienting

Reflexive Orienting The Posner cueing paradigm (with blinking boxes) confounds reflexive and voluntary orienting How could we change the Posner cueing paradigm to make it assess only reflexive orienting?

Reflexive Orienting The Posner cueing paradigm (with blinking boxes) confounds reflexive and voluntary orienting How could we change the Posner cueing paradigm to make it assess only reflexive orienting? Make validity 50% (non-informative cue)

Reflexive Orienting The Posner cueing paradigm (with blinking boxes) confounds reflexive and voluntary orienting How could we change the Posner cueing paradigm to make it assess only reflexive orienting? Make validity 50% (non-informative cue) Viewers are still faster and more accurate!

Voluntary Orienting What is another way to make this paradigm a voluntary orienting paradigm? Symbolic cues may orient attention towards another location. Stimulus cues orient attention to the stimulated location. Symbolic Cue

Reflexive Orienting Can symbolic cues be reflexive? Almost never but …

Reflexive Orienting Can symbolic cues be reflexive? Reflexive orienting to direction of eye gaze – this symbolic cue works even when uninformative