Deck 3: Attention

Question 1

When two different digits are simultaneously presented, one to each ear, the percentage of correct recall

A)is higher when reporting by ears.
B)is higher when reporting by pairs.
C)is uninfluenced by the method of reporting.
D)is uninfluenced by the time between pairs.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

With regard to attention, which of the following does not belong?

A)concentration
C)selectivity
B)focalization
D)transduction

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Broadbent's filter model proposes that it is easier to report a message to one ear followed by the message to the other ear because

A)it is easier to organize memory according to where the information arrived.
B)attention does not have to be continuously switched.
C)reporting by ears requires less capacity.
D)people have more practice in using that procedure.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Capacity theories propose that the ability to perform simultaneous activities is limited when the activities

A)require more mental effort than is available.
B)do not interest the individual.
C)are unfamiliar ones.
D)are very similar to each other.

Question 5

Which of the following statements is not true of Treisman's model of attention?

A)The bottleneck occurs after pattern recognition.
B)The unattended message is attenuated.
C)Thresholds vary across words.
D)Expectations influence thresholds.

Question 6

Which is not part of Triesman's model of attention?

A)dictionary
C)allocation policy
B)selective filter
D)word threshold

Question 7

Which experimental finding created a problem for the filter model? People could report

A)all 6 digits after hearing 3 simultaneous pairs.
B)by 'ears' better than they could report by pairs.
C)information to the attended ear in a shadowing task.
D)information to the unattended ear in a shadowing task.

Question 8

In which model does the bottleneck occur after the pattern recognition stage?

A)Deutsch/Norman model
C)attenuation model
B)filter model
D)capacity model

Question 9

A major difference between the selective attention theories of Treisman and Deutsch/Norman concerns the

A)stage at which selective attention takes place.
B)use of semantic information.
C)use of feature analysis.
D)role of echoic memory.

Question 10

Which of the following models is not associated with bottleneck theories of attention?

A)Broadbent's filter model
B)Treisman's attenuation model
C)Kahneman's capacity model
D)Deutsch/Norman's memory selection model

Question 11

With regard to Broadbent's model of attention, which of the following does not belong?

A)filter
C)limited-capacity perceptual channel
B)bottle-neck
D)attenuation

Question 12

Which model proposes that performance is limited by the extent to which two activities are similar and use the same information-processing stages?

A)a bottleneck model
C)both models
B)a capacity model
D)neither model

Question 13

Which component of the information processing system plays an important role according to both Broadbent's 'filter' theory and Triesman's Attenuation theory of attention?

A)the filter
C)STM
B)the sensory store
D)pattern recognition

Question 14

Where does the bottleneck occur in Broadbent's filter model?

A)sensory store
C)STM
B)pattern recognition
D)LTM

Question 15

Which of the following theories is concerned with the allocation of mental effort to various activities?

A)Broadbent's filter model
B)Treisman's attenuation model
C)Kahneman's capacity model
D)Deutsch/Norman's memory selection model

Question 16

One of the problems for Broadbent's model of attention, but not Triesman's, is that

A)in shadowing tasks people reported hearing their names in the unattended channel.
B)in shadowing tasks people reported only hearing the information from the attended ear.
C)in shadowing tasks people could follow information from either ear.
D)None of these

Question 17

Which of the following two characteristics of attention discussed in William James' famous Principles of Psychology are still studied today?

A)shadowing and memory selection
C)intensity and pitch
B)shadowing and attenuation
D)focalization and concentration

Question 18

Shadowing is an experimental technique that is used to verify that people

A)are attending to the correct message.
B)are attending to the unattended message.
C)are using all their available capacity.
D)are using less than their available capacity.

Question 19

The main difference between early and late-selection models of attention is

A)where the bottleneck in information processing occurs.
B)the role of the sensory store in information processing.
C)the role of short-term memory in information processing.
D)the role of long-term memory in information processing.

Question 20

With respect to models of attention, which of the following does not belong?

A)filter model
C)selection model
B)attenuation model
D)capacity model

Question 21

According to Posner and Snyder, a skill is automatic if it

A)occurs without intention.
C)interferes with other mental activities.
B)gives rise to conscious awareness.
D)All of these

Question 22

The University of Massachusetts Driver Training Program did not improve performance on a

A)simulator test given immediately after training.
B)simulator test given 3-5 days after training.
C)on a field test in a real environment.
D)none of the above.

Question 23

The multi-mode theory of attention proposed by Johnston and Heinz suggests that

A)there is no relation between the amount of required capacity and the stage at which selection occurs.
B)the amount of required capacity is the same for an early and a late mode of selection.
C)more capacity is required for an early mode of selection.
D)more capacity is required for a late mode of selection.

Question 24

Evidence for 'unitization' in perception includes Healy's finding that it is difficult to detect

A)frequently occurring letters.
C)letters in frequently occurring words.
B)infrequently occurring letters.
D)letters in infrequently occurring words.

Question 25

Johnston and Heinz's (1978) multimode model of attention

A)does not include a bottleneck in processing information.
B)includes a bottleneck but asserts that the person can control the location of the bottleneck.
C)includes a bottleneck only if the person actively constructs one.
D)None of these

Question 26

The research of Strayer and Johnston (2001) indicates that

A)listening to the radio is equivalent to driving while using a cell phone.
B)hands-free cell phones while driving were safer than hand-held cell phones.
C)Both a and b
D)Neither a nor b

Question 27

Why have many psychologists shifted away from research on where the bottleneck occurs in information processing?

A)It now seems reasonable that people can control where the bottleneck occurs, depending on the task.
B)Watson and other behaviorists argued convincingly that consciousness could not be studied scientifically.
C)There is no evidence for a bottleneck.
D)All of these

Question 28

In Kahneman's capacity model of attention, involuntary attention is controlled by

A)subliminal perception.
C)enduring dispositions.
B)momentary intentions.
D)evaluation of demands.

Question 29

The _____ indicates that tasks are performed more slowly because of competing responses.

A)attenuation model
C)Stroop effect
B)bottleneck effect
D)filter model

Question 30

Hasher and Zacks argue that when it is possible to perform a task automatically, performance should be influenced by

A)practice.
C)depression.
B)task interference.
D)None of these

Question 31

According to James, there are two aspects of attention: selectivity and concentration.

Question 32

Which of the following is not true with regards to automatic processing according to Hasher and Zacks?

A)It occurs without intention.
C)It is not prone to task interference.
B)It improves with practice.
D)It is not impacted upon by arousal.

Question 33

Automatic processing can be a disadvantage when people

A)ride a bicycle.
C)name the color of words (Stroop effect).
B)discriminate between unfamiliar letters.
D)fly jet aircraft.

Question 34

With respect to involuntary and voluntary capture of attention,

A)voluntary attention can influence involuntary attention.
B)involuntary attention can influence voluntary attention.
C)involuntary and voluntary attention never interact.
D)None of these

Question 35

In Kahneman's capacity model of attention, performance is

A)best at very low levels of arousal.
C)best at very high levels of arousal.
B)best at intermediate levels of arousal.
D)uninfluenced by the level of arousal.

Question 36

A possible limitation of Hasher and Zack's theory of automatic encoding is that it ignores the effect of

A)task complexity.
C)high arousal.
B)age.
D)depression.

Question 37

One aspect of involuntary attention is enduring dispositions. For example,

A)noticing when a teacher calls your name.
C)listening to a homework assignment.
B)listening to a teacher's lecture.
D)looking for a teacher after class.

Question 38

The research of Strayer and Johnston (2001) indicates that listening to a cell phone

A)increases the probability of missing a signal.
B)increases the response time to react to a signal.
C)Both a and b
D)Neither a nor b

Question 39

Evidence that word recognition is not completely automated was the finding that Dutch-English bilingual students fixated longer on Dutch words that were

A)spelled differently from English words.
C)difficult to spell in English.
B)spelled like English words.
D)difficult to spell in Dutch.

Question 40

An example of a momentary intention would be

A)looking for a friend on campus.
B)noticing that a bug just hit your windshield.
C)having a very brief nightmare.
D)overhearing your name in another conversation.

Question 41

Johnston and Heinz did a series of five experiments investigating their multimode model of attention. What is this model? What were the results of the experiments, and how did they support the model?

Question 42

Explain Hasher and Zacks's theory of automatic encoding. What are its implications for frequency information?

Question 43

Incidental learning occurs only under conditions of attentional effort.

Question 44

Explain the Stroop effect. What does the Stroop effect tell us about reading? About automatic processing of information?

Question 45

Have you ever had the experience when you were driving home from work or school where you remember getting in the car but then the next thing you remember is getting out of the car? Use the concepts discussed in the chapter on attention to explain this phenomenon.

Question 46

Discuss automatic processing of attention. Include in your answer the characteristics of automatic processing.

Question 47

Do you think that the use of cell phones while driving should be banned? Use information in the text to support your opinion.

Question 48

Early selection models are those in which the sensory store is the bottleneck for attention.

Question 49

In a dual task paradigm, the goal is to investigate two competing cognitive theories.

Question 50

Some words have permanently lower thresholds than other, so they are more easily recognized.

Question 51

Automatic processing occurs without conscious awareness.

Question 52

Describe capacity models of attention. How do these models differ from bottleneck models of attention? Which type of model do you prefer, and why?

Question 53

Explain the difference between enduring dispositions and momentary intentions. Give an example of each.

Question 54

The shadowing method requires the participant to visually track a moving object.

Question 55

Your text discusses two instances where cognitive psychology can inform public policy: predicting road accidents and using cell phones while driving. How can you apply what you have learned about attention to other everyday events?

Question 56

Reading the word red when the word is printed in red is easier than reading the
word red when the word is printed in green. This is the 'word superiority effect'.

Question 57

Subsidiary tasks are those that are utilized to assess the attentional demands of the primary task.

Question 58

Brief training in a simulated driving computer program enhances selective attention in inexperienced drivers.

Question 59

Describe in detail one of the following models of attention: Broadbent's, Treisman's, or Deutsch-Norman's. In what ways does the model you have chosen differ from the other two?