Question 1

Draw a graph showing the relationship between the spatial separation between two items and information access effort (IAE). Label the three different regions of the graph.

Accepted Answer

To draw a graph showing the relationship between the spatial separation between two items and information access effort (IAE), we can use a scatter plot with spatial separation on the x-axis and IAE on the y-axis. As the spatial separation increases, the IAE will also increase, so the graph will show a positive correlation.

The three different regions of the graph can be labeled as follows:
1. Low Spatial Separation/Low IAE: This region represents situations where the items are close together, making it easy to access the information with minimal effort.
2. Moderate Spatial Separation/Moderate IAE: In this region, the spatial separation between the items is moderate, leading to a moderate level of effort required to access the information.
3. High Spatial Separation/High IAE: This region represents scenarios where the items are far apart, resulting in a high level of effort needed to access the information.

By labeling these regions on the graph, we can visually see how the spatial separation between two items affects the information access effort, and understand the relationship between the two variables more clearly.

Question 2

Consider guided search, and how experience changes the search process.

Accepted Answer

Guided search is a search process where the user is provided with specific cues or prompts to help narrow down their search and find relevant information more efficiently. This can include using filters, categories, or specific keywords to guide the search process.

Experience can significantly change the search process in guided search. As users become more familiar with the search interface and the types of information they are looking for, they can become more adept at using the available cues and prompts to refine their search. Experienced users may also develop a better understanding of which filters or keywords are most effective for finding the information they need, leading to a more efficient search process.

Additionally, experienced users may also develop a better intuition for where to look for certain types of information, based on their past experiences with similar searches. This can lead to a more targeted and effective search process, as they are able to quickly navigate to the most relevant sources of information.

Overall, experience can lead to a more streamlined and effective guided search process, as users become more adept at utilizing the available cues and prompts to find the information they need.

Question 3

Attention can be described in terms of a flashlight metaphor. Which of the following best characterizes focused attention?

Accepted Answer

A)   the narrowness of the flashlight beam
B)   selecting different parts of the scene
C)   the wideness of the beam
D)   the flashlight battery A

Question 4

The spatial links between auditory, visual and proprioceptive attention seem to be:

Accepted Answer

A)   obligatory
B)   conscious
C)   weak
D)   transitory

Question 5

Which of the following statements about cue reliability is false?

Accepted Answer

A)   when the cue is wrong, penalties are incurred
B)   as the reliability of cueing improves, benefits when it is correct increase
C)   the more correctly the cue indicates the location of a target, the less likely it is that the observer will examine other areas
D)   cue characteristics that benefit cueing when it is correct reduce costs when it is wrong

Question 6

Compare and contrast the phenomena of change blindness and inattentional blindness.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Compare and contrast the phenomena of change...

Question 7

Which of the following advantages is not object-based?

Accepted Answer

A)   conformal imagery on a HUD
B)   polygon displays
C)   an emergent feature
D)   redundancy gain in the flanker task

Question 8

A head-up display (HUD) places critical instrument readings on the cockpit window. Which of the following statements best characterizes its advantages?

Accepted Answer

A)   it facilitates parallel processing of scene and symbology
B)   it facilitates processing of an unexpected obstacle
C)   it disrupts focused attention
D)   it violates spatial proximity

Question 9

When a target is present, search time is roughly half the time it takes when a target is absent. Why is that?

Accepted Answer

A)   on average, the target will be found halfway through the search
B)   the target is always placed halfway down the screen
C)   the target will be found if it is present
D)   the distractors are different if the target is not present

Question 10

Auditory input in an unattended channel remains in a pre-attentive short-term auditory store for

Accepted Answer

A)   300-600 milliseconds
B)   3-6 seconds
C)   3-6 minutes
D)   3-6 hours

Question 11

Why do we sometimes look, but fail to see?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why do we sometimes look, but fail...

Question 12

Which of the following effects can be NOT be caused by loud auditory material:

Accepted Answer

A)   increased levels of stress
B)   reduced fatigue
C)   disruption to cognitive performance
D)   annoyance

Question 13

Using the flashlight metaphor, characterize the different types of attention.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Using the flashlight metaphor, characterize the different...

Question 14

Banbury and Berry (1998) found that habituation to background sound can be reduced by:

Accepted Answer

A)   switching tasks
B)   relatively short periods of quiet
C)   reducing the level of background sound
D)   adding white noise

Question 15

Extensive training in target search can lead to

Accepted Answer

A)   automaticity
B)   degraded performance
C)   varied mapping
D)   serial search

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the auditory modality?

Accepted Answer

A)   receives information at almost all times
B)   omni-directional
C)   transient
D)   almost limitless capacity

Question 17

In attentional guidance, a central cue:

Accepted Answer

A)   points away from the imperative stimulus
B)   points towards the imperative stimulus
C)   is placed at the imperative stimulus
D)   is less cognitively driven than a peripheral cue

Question 18

In what ways is the auditory modality different from the visual modality?

Accepted Answer

The answer of In what ways is the auditory modality...

Question 19

Change blindness is more likely to the extent that the event is ____.

Accepted Answer

A)   improbable
B)   unexpected
C)   infrequent
D)   frequent

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT an effective means to reduce the disruptive effects of office noise:

Accepted Answer

A)   reduce noise level
B)   reduce variability of the noise
C)   re-design office tasks to reduce load on working memory
D)   add low-level continuous white noise

Exam 3: Attention in Perception and Display Space