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Attention
means by which we actively process a limited amount of info from enormous amt of
info
available through
our senses
stored memories
other cognitive processes
attention in most cases leads to action, its not an entirely passive process; u spend
cognitive resources when you focus
consciousness = feeling of awareness + content
includes both conscious and unconscious process
unconscious
selective and limited
analogy: ATTN is like a flashlight in the dark
Consciousness
includes both
feeling of awareness and
content of awareness
some of which may be under focus of attain
attention and consciousness form two partially overlapping sets
3 causal roles of conscious attain in cognition
1. helps in monitoring our interaction w/ environment
2. assists in linking our past (memories) and our present (sensation) to give us
continuity of experiences
1. better understanding of self and environment
3. helps us in controlling and planning for our future action
1. to organise thoughts what to do in the future u need attention
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4 main functions of attention and theories to explain them
parallel stage
the individual simultaneously activates a mental representation of all the
potential targets.
items are processed at the same time. A decision about target presence is
based on the output of this processing
serial stage
attention is directed to one item at a time, allowing each item to be
classified as a target or a distractor in turn
SELECTIVE ATTENTION
the capacity for or process of reacting to certain stimuli selectively when several
occur simultaneously.
inattention
hyperactivity (i.e., levels of activity that exceed what is normally shown by
children of a given age)
impulsiveness.
3 main types of ADHD
hyperactive-impulsive
inattentive
a combination of hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive behavior.
Change blindness
- an inability to detect changes in objects or scenes that are being viewed
inattentional blindness
- a phenomenon in which people are not able to see things that are actually there