Deck 4: Attention and Consciousness

Question 1

Information that is available for cognitive processing but that currently lies outside of conscious awareness exists at the __________ level of awareness.

A)superconscious
B)conscious
C)preconscious
D)unconscious

Answer 1

preconscious

Question 2

According to signal-detection theory,__________ refer to one of the possible outcomes,in which we incorrectly fail to observe the presence of a signal.

A)hits
B)false alarms
C)misses
D)correct rejections

Answer 2

misses

Question 3

Alice is a lifeguard at a busy beach.When on duty,she must remain alert to detect the initial appearance of a stimulus (i.e. ,someone having difficulties in the water),despite prolonged periods during which the stimulus is absent.Alice's job requires great

A)selective attention.
B)vigilance.
C)search.
D)multiple-task processing.

Answer 3

vigilance.

Question 4

__________ refers to the cognitive link between the limited amount of information that we actually manipulate mentally and the enormous amount of information available through our senses,our stored memories,and our other cognitive processes.

A)Arousal
B)Attention
C)Consciousness
D)Priming

Question 5

Which of the following is not a primary function of attention?

A)vigilance
B)search
C)selective attention
D)consciousness

Question 6

According to signal-detection theory,__________ refer to one of the possible outcomes,in which we incorrectly identify the presence of a signal that is actually absent.

A)hits
B)false alarms
C)misses
D)correct rejections

Question 7

__________ refers to a main task for which we use our attention,in which we choose to attend to some stimuli and to ignore others.

A)Selective attention
B)Vigilance
C)Search
D)Multiple-task processing

Question 8

__________ refers to a main task for which we use our attention,in which we watchfully wait to detect the appearance of a particular stimulus.

A)Selective attention
B)Vigilance
C)Search
D)Multiple-task processing

Question 9

This theory characterizes our ability to detect a signal as one of four possible outcomes involving either detection or no detection and presence or absence of the stimuli.

A)signal-detection theory
B)change blindness
C)attentional-resource
D)attentional integration theory

Question 10

__________ refers to the complex phenomenon of evaluating the environment and then filtering that information through the mind,with the awareness of doing so.

A)Arousal
B)Attention
C)Consciousness
D)Priming

Question 11

According to signal-detection theory,__________ refer to one of the possible outcomes,in which we correctly identify the presence of a signal.

A)hits
B)false alarms
C)misses
D)correct rejections

Question 12

Trying to locate a particular shop in a crowded shopping center or a particular key term in a large list of terms are examples of

A)selective attention.
B)vigilance.
C)search.
D)multiple-task processing.

Question 13

This function of attention involves the detection of information of a particular stimulus.

A)stimulus observation
B)signal detection
C)attentional integration
D)stimulus selection

Question 14

__________ refers to a main task for which we use our attention,in which we prudently allocate our available attentional resources to engage in more than one task at a time.

A)Selective attention
B)Vigilance
C)Search
D)Divided attention

Question 15

__________ refers to a main task for which we use our attention,in which we actively seek out particular stimuli.

A)Selective attention
B)Vigilance
C)Search
D)Multiple-task processing

Question 16

According to signal-detection theory,__________ refer to one of the possible outcomes,in which we correctly identify the absence of a signal.

A)hits
B)false alarms
C)misses
D)correct rejections

Question 17

You are watching your favorite TV show when a friend enters the room and wants to engage you in conversation.You really want to watch your show,but know that you should attend to the conversation.You try to do both.This is an example of

A)selective attention.
B)feature search.
C)divided attention.
D)signal detection theory.

Question 18

This brain structure appears to be important in the regulation of vigilance.

A)frontal lobe
B)occipital cortex
C)amygdala
D)pons

Question 19

When scanning a scene for a particular item/person,the target stimulus that you are attempting to detect is called a

A)movement-filter theory.
B)signal.
C)false alarm.
D)dishabituation.

Question 20

Splitting your attentional resources between two or more different task is called

A)selective attention.
B)feature search.
C)divided attention.
D)signal detection theory.

Question 21

__________ presentation refers to the simultaneous presentation of differing audible stimuli (such as verbal messages)to each ear.

A)Binaural
B)Equalized
C)Parallel
D)Dichotic

Question 22

__________ refers to an experimental task in which you listen to two different messages and then are required to repeat back only one of the messages as soon as possible after you hear it,ignoring the other.

A)Selective listening
B)Shadowing
C)Unilateral attention
D)Uniaural listening task

Question 23

This model of selective attention suggests that the filter for blocking signals occurs later than sensory processing and allows for both perceptual and conceptual analysis of information to take place.

A)Treisman's attenuation model
B)Perceptual-Conceptual model of attention
C)Guided search model of information processing
D)Deutsch and Deutsch's Late Filter Model

Question 24

This model of selective attention suggests that while there are multiple channels for sensory input,only one channel is processed while the other channels of information are blocked (filtered).Information from only one channel makes it through the attentional filter.

A)Treisman's attenuation model
B)Broadbent's Model
C)Single channel detection theory
D)Deutsch and Deutsch's Late Filter Model

Question 25

This model of selective attention proposes that there are three stages of processing,and that selection of one incoming message over another can take place during any of the three stages.

A)the multimode theory
B)Deutsch and Deutsch's Late Filter Model
C)divided attention
D)Neisser's Synthesis

Question 26

According to the __________ theory,the key factor affecting the relative ease or difficulty of visual searches is whether or not discrete features must be integrated.

A)similarity
B)feature-integration
C)commonality
D)signal-detection

Question 27

Your child attends a school that requires use of 1 of 4 different uniforms.You lament that it is often difficult to spot your child in the crowd of children.On that day it is raining,it is easy to spot the red umbrella that your child uses in the sea of black umbrellas.The search has changed from a _____ to a _____.

A)feature search;conjunction search
B)selective attention;divided attention
C)divided attention;selective attention
D)conjunction search;feature search

Question 28

__________ refers to a means of pursuing a quest for a target stimulus by seeking the joint appearance of multiple features that distinguish the target stimulus from distracters.

A)Characteristic selectivity
B)Visual selective attention
C)Conjunction search
D)Feature search

Question 29

__________ refer to features,characteristics,objects,or other stimuli that cause a person difficulty in selectively attending to the desired stimuli.

A)Signals
B)Distracters
C)Secondary stimuli
D)Secondary signals

Question 30

Your child attends a school that requires use of 1 of 4 different uniforms.You lament that it is often difficult to spot your child in the crowd of children.The difficulty is due to a search involving

A)feature search.
B)vigilance.
C)divided attention.
D)conjunction search.

Question 31

__________ refers to the visual pursuit of a particular characteristic by means of scanning the environment for the characteristic.

A)Feature search
B)Characteristic selectivity
C)Signal scanning
D)Visual selective attention

Question 32

According to the __________ theories of attention,information is selectively blocked out or attenuated as it passes from one level of processing to the next.

A)attentional-resource
B)filter and bottleneck
C)neurological
D)signal-detection

Question 33

According to the __________ theory,the key factor affecting the relative ease or difficulty of visual searches is the degree to which the features of targets and distracters are alike.

A)similarity
B)commonality
C)feature-integration
D)signal-detection

Question 34

Fred needs to find a particular furniture store in a busy shopping area.Yet,this particular shop has no unique features to help him recognize it,other than the store's name.Thus,Fred must read each store's name and compare it to the target shop's name.This illustrates

A)characteristic selectivity.
B)visual selective attention.
C)conjunction search.
D)feature search.

Question 35

This model of selective attention suggests that most information is blocked out at the sensory level,but that highly salient messages are able to break through the attentional filter.

A)Moray's Selective Filter Model
B)The Multimode Theory
C)Deutsch and Deutsch's Late Filter Model
D)Treisman's attenuation model

Question 36

This model,_____,suggests that all searches,whether conjunctive or feature,involve two stages.The first stage,operating in parallel,identifies information for further processing that occurs in the second stage,which occurs serially.

A)guided search theory
B)movement-filter theory
C)Broadbent's model
D)similarity theory

Question 37

This model of selective attention suggests that 1)some higher level processing of the information occurs prior to informational filter,and 2)the strength of the unattended stimuli is weaker than that for the attended stimuli.

A)Broadbent's Model
B)Deutsch and Deutsch's Late Filter Model
C)Treisman's attenuation model
D)Guided search model of information processing

Question 38

Madden's (2007)research examining the impact of aging on visual search ability has found that:

A)Older participants are more accurate but slower than younger participants.
B)Younger participants are more accurate but slower than older participants.
C)Younger participants are more accurate and faster than older participants.
D)There is no difference between younger and older participants.

Question 39

As a child,every time you went to a place with large crowds,your mother had you wear a bright colored shirt.She knew that it would be easier to spot you in the crowd by the color of your shirt.She was making use of

A)feature search.
B)vigilance.
C)divided attention.
D)conjunction search.

Question 40

The __________ phenomenon refers to the process of tracking one conversation in the face of the distraction of other conversations.

A)cocktail party
B)dichotic listening
C)bidirectional attention
D)subliminal perception

Question 41

Which of the following is true about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?

A)Those with it have difficulty focusing their attention.
B)Those with it focus too much on details.
C)It often appears in late adulthood.
D)Medicines used primarily affect the neurotransmitter acetycholine.

Question 42

A person with lesions in the visual cortex may report not being able to see information;however,if forced to answer about an item,the person can often correctly guess the location and orientation of various objects.This suggests that some processing of visual information occurs outside of conscious awareness and is called

A)blindsight.
B)peripheral vision.
C)change blindness.
D)signal detection theory.

Question 43

According to the __________ theories of attention,people have a fixed amount of attentional resources that they allocate to the perceived task requirements.

A)attentional-resource
B)filter and bottleneck
C)neurological
D)signal-detection

Question 44

__________ refers to the tendency to become accustomed to a stimulus and gradually to notice it less and less.

A)Automatization
B)Proceduralization
C)Habituation
D)Dishabituation

Question 45

Research on attention classifying tasks into verbal and visual or spatial tasks have discovered this about attention.

A)All tasks seem to tap the same attention resource.
B)Only tasks that require vision have a filter.
C)Two tasks that are verbal tasks tap the same attention resource.
D)We have an infinite amount of capacity to process information.

Question 46

__________ refers to the phenomenon in which a change in a familiar stimulus prompts the perceiver to start noticing a new stimulus to which the perceiver had previously become accustomed.

A)Automatization
B)Proceduralization
C)Habituation
D)Dishabituation

Question 47

_________________ involves being able to select which stimuli to attend to.

A)Orienting
B)Alerting
C)Executive attention
D)Searching

Question 48

Which of the following is NOT a factor that influences our ability to pay attention?

A)gender
B)anxiety
C)arousal
D)skills

Question 49

What does research on attention state about multitasking?

A)A small percentage of the population is extremely good at multitasking.
B)Everyone can be trained to multitask effectively
C)Multitasking requires computer proficiency.
D)Multitasking makes you slower and more prone to make mistakes.

Question 50

Research has indicated that inspection time has a relationship with intelligence.Which of the following best describes this relationship?

A)Highly intelligent people tend to increase their inspection time.
B)Highly intelligent people have very fast inspection times.
C)People with lower intelligence scores have fast inspection times.
D)There is no relationship between inspection time and intelligence.

Question 51

In the making of a movie,any particular scene is often filmed several times.No matter how hard they try during the editing process,there is often some discontinuity in the scenes (e.g. ,an object suddenly changes location from one location to another).Failure to notices these changes would be an example of

A)blindsight.
B)divided attention.
C)conjunction search.
D)change blindness.

Question 52

This attentional dysfunction,typically due to lesions in the parietal lobes,is when a person ignores information from half of their visual field.

A)single hemisphere neglect
B)anterior attentional deficit
C)signal detection failure
D)spatial neglect

Question 53

Which of the following best describes the capacity model of attention?

A)Attention has a filter that can move dependent on the level of meaning we assign to it.
B)Attention has several filters at the sensory level.
C)We have a fixed amount of attention that we can use on multiple tasks.
D)None of the above.

Question 54

__________ refers to the process by which a person repeats a procedure so frequently that the procedure changes from being highly conscious and effortful to being relatively automatic and effortless.

A)Habituation
B)Adaptation
C)Automatization
D)Dishabituation

Question 55

This model combines early-filter and later-filter models by suggesting that there are two
Processes,preattentive and attentive,that govern attention.

A)multimode theory
B)Treisman's attenuation model
C)movement-filter theory
D)Neisser's Synthesis

Question 56

While studying for an exam,Suzanne likes to keep the radio on.She quickly gets used to the music in the background and she scarcely notices it.Yet,if someone changes the loudness,Suzanne becomes aware of the music immediately.This reaction to the change in loudness illustrates

A)disproceduralization.
B)disautomatization.
C)dishabituation.
D)sensory disadaptation.

Question 57

When a person fails to detect changes that occur for attended or unattended objects in a viewed scene,this is called

A)blindsight.
B)divided attention.
C)conjunction search.
D)change blindness.

Question 58

Which of the following best describes the dual-task paradigm used to study divided attention in the laboratory?

A)Participants are asked to listen to one ear and repeat the information heard.
B)Participants are asked to watch a film showing two activities superimposed on one another.
C)Participants watch a screen and press a button when a particular feature is present.
D)All of the above describe the dual-task paradigm.

Question 59

_______________ involves being prepared to focus on incoming information.

A)Orienting
B)Alerting
C)Executive attention
D)Searching

Question 60

Ulric Neisser synthesized the early filter and the late filter models in part by proposing that there are two processes governing attention:

A)foreground and background processes.
B)preattentive and attentive processes.
C)signal and noise processes.
D)target and distracter processes.

Question 61

Describe automatic and controlled processes.Explain the role that each play in consciousness.

Question 62

Describe how an MRI works.

Question 63

Information about your bedroom,such as the number of windows in it,is often easily pulled from __________ awareness to conscious awareness.

A)superconscious
B)preconscious
C)subconscious
D)unconscious

Question 64

The main difference between habituation and sensory adaptation is that habituation

A)does not involve sensory stimuli and sensory adaptation does.
B)is not always adaptive,whereas sensory adaptation is.
C)refers to habits,and sensory adaptation does not.
D)involves some conscious control over whether to notice something to which one has become habituated,whereas one has no such control over sensory adaptation.

Question 65

The effects of practice on automatization show a __________ curve,in which early practice effects are great and later practice makes less and less difference in the degree of automatization.

A)curvilinear
B)monotonic
C)positively accelerated
D)negatively accelerated

Question 66

Describe the relationship between attention and consciousness.

Question 67

Mistakes are to controlled processes as ____________ are to automatic processes.

A)tip-of- the-tongue effects
B)data
C)stroop effects
D)slips

Question 68

Describe the difference between selective attention and vigilance.

Question 69

__________ refers to the process by which particular stimuli activate mental pathways that enhance the ability to process subsequent stimuli related to the initial stimuli in some way.

A)Priming
B)Feature enhancement
C)Conjunction processing
D)Binaural processing

Question 70

__________ refers to an experience involving the preconscious level of consciousness,in which a person tries to remember something that is known to be stored in memory,but that the person cannot quite retrieve.

A)The tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon
B)The tip-of-awareness phenomenon
C)Freudian slip
D)Subliminal perception

Question 71

Which of the following answers indicate the pattern of results that Marcel (1983)found using primes that have two different meanings (e.g. ,palm: hand or tree)?

A)He showed evidence for positive priming only (facilitation).
B)He showed evidence of negative priming only (inhibition).
C)His results depended upon whether the prime was seen consciously or not.
D)None of the above are correct.

Question 72

Tom works at a fish store.When he gets home,his family comments on how strongly he smells.He,in contrast,cannot smell any fish odor at all.This example illustrates the phenomenon of

A)proceduralization.
B)automatization.
C)habituation.
D)sensory adaptation.

Question 73

__________ processing refers to cognitive processing that requires conscious control and effort that is performed one step at a time.

A)Natural
B)Procedural
C)Controlled
D)Automatic

Question 74

Jessica usually puts on perfume in the morning.She has noticed that,although she can smell the perfume on herself immediately after putting it on,she can barely smell it the rest of the day.Yet,others around her can smell her perfume easily.Jessica is showing

A)proceduralization.
B)automatization.
C)habituation.
D)sensory adaptation.

Question 75

While studying for an exam,Suzanne likes to keep the radio on.She quickly gets used to the music in the background and she scarcely notices it.Suzanne is showing

A)proceduralization.
B)automatization.
C)habituation.
D)sensory adaptation.

Question 76

The __________ refers to the psychological difficulty in selective attention that occurs when a literate person attempts to name the colors of ink which are printed color words that label contrasting colors (e.g. ,"blue" may be printed in red ink).

A)semantic confusion phenomenon
B)feature-integration problem
C)Stroop effect
D)signal effect

Question 77

The automatic processes of habituation and dishabituation occur

A)only in adults.
B)in a variety of animal species.
C)only in infants.
D)only in mammals.

Question 78

__________ refers to a temporary physiological response to a sensed change in the environment,which is generally not subject to conscious control and which does not depend on previous experience with the given type of environmental change.

A)Habituation
B)Sensory adaptation
C)Proceduralization
D)Automatization

Question 79

__________ refers to a degree of physiological excitation,responsivity,and readiness for action relative to a baseline.

A)Awareness
B)Arousal
C)Attention
D)Vigilance

Question 80

__________ processing refers to cognitive manipulation that requires no conscious decisions or intentional effort.

A)Natural
B)Procedural
C)Controlled
D)Automatic