Resource Key
LEVEL 1
brief, basic information laid out in an easy-to-read format. May use informal language. (Includes most news articles)
LEVEL 2
provides additional background information and further reading. Introduces some subject-specific language.
LEVEL 3
lengthy, detailed information. Frequently uses technical/subject-specific language. (Includes most analytical articles)
Linked Databases
- World Book Encyclopedia This link opens in a new window
Online version of the complete reference work along with dictionary, atlas, links, magazines, historical documents, audio, video, images, and 3D photograph
- Britannica Schools This link opens in a new window
Britannica School covers the core subject areas of English, Maths, Science and History. Interactive lessons, activities, games, stories, worksheets, manipulatives, study guides and research tools.
Introduction
At the highest level of consciousness we are totally aware and focused on what we have selected to pay attention to. This might be lining up to kick a goal or studying for an exam. In this state we are virtually oblivious to other things going on around us. As we move down the consciousness continuum, we find divided attention. Much of the time, our attention is not fully focused on one things and we divide our attention between two sources of information. This lets us do two things at the same time. How successfully we do this depend on how much conscious effort is required for each of the tasks. (Nelson, 2016)
This research guide has been developed for a Year 11 investigation into 'comparing selected and divided attention'.
The Attention Experiment
Simons, J. (2010, April 28). The monkey business illusion [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGQmdoK_ZfY
Attention Overview
- Cherry, K. (2016, January 15). What is attention. Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/od/cognitivepsychology/f/attention.htm
Attention is a concept studied in cognitive psychology that refers to how we actively process specific information in our environment. As you are reading this, there are numerous sights, sounds and sensations going on around you – the pressure of your feet against the floor, the sight of the street out of a nearby window, the soft warmth of your shirt, the memory of a conversation you had earlier with a friend. - Attention. (2016). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from http://school.eb.com.au.db.plcscotch.wa.edu.au/levels/high/article/109387
Attention is awareness of the here and now in a focal and perceptive way. For early psychologists, such as Edward Bradford Titchener, attention determined the content of consciousness and influenced the quality of conscious experience. In subsequent years less emphasis was placed on the subjective element of consciousness and more on the behaviour patterns by which attention could be recognized in others. - Freidrich, F. (2016). Attention. Retrieved from http://nobaproject.com/modules/attentionWe use the term “attention“ all the time, but what processes or abilities does that concept really refer to? This module will focus on how attention allows us to select certain parts of our environment and ignore other parts, and what happens to the ignored information.
Selective and Divided Attention
KhanAcademy. (2013, September 17). Divided attention, selective attention, inattentional blindness, & change blindness. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4JBqLoY3tY
Key Terms
- attention A state of focused awareness on a subset of the available perceptual information.
- dichotic listening An experimental technique in which a different auditory stimulus is simultaneously presented to each ear.
- divided attention Divided attention occurs when mental focus is on multiple tasks or ideas at once. Also known as multitasking, individuals do this all the time. Examples are singing along to a song while driving, having a conversation while walking, or listening to music while grocery shopping. Divided attention does decrease the amount of attention being placed on any one task or idea if there are multiple focuses going on at once. For example, if you answer a friend's question while you are reading a book your concentration on the book wanes as you focus on responding to your friend.
- encoding The process by which a mental representation is formed in memory.
- explicit memory Conscious efforts to recover information through memory processes.
- implicit memory Availability of information through memory processes without the exertion of any conscious effort to encode or recover information.
- inattentional blindness Inattentional Blindness, also known as perceptual blindness, is an event where the effected person doesn't see new and unexpected things that suddenly appear within their visual field. This phenomenon is believed to be a side-effect of excessive stimuli in the visual field (too many things to keep track of at the same time) and can cause a person to miss important, but unexpected, items in their vicinity.
- memory The mental capacity to encode, store, and retrieve information.
- selective attention Selective attention is the process of focusing on a particular object in the environment for a certain period of time. Attention is a limited resource, so selective attention allows us to tune out unimportant details and focus on what really matters.
- working memory A memory resource that is used to accomplish tasks such as reasoning and language comprehension; consists of the phonological loop, visuospatial sketchpad, and central executive.
Ethical Research
- LibGuides. (n.d.). Discuss ethical considerations related to research studies at the biological level of analysis. Retrieved from http://ibguides.com/psychology/notes/discuss-ethical-considerations-related-to-research-studies-at-the-biological-level-of-anThis Psychology IB LibGuide discusses ethical consideration for research experiments.
Broadbent
- Tweney, R. (2008). Eric Broadbent. Retrieved from http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2830905525.html
Broadbent, often considered one of the founders of cognitive psychology, was best known for his experimental and theoretical work on attention and short-term memory. His “filter theory” of attention accounted for a wide range of phenomena, particularly in the auditory domain, and served to reawaken interest in the relation between attention and perception. His most influential work, Perception and Communication (1958), also served as a model of scientific method for the new orientation in psychology.
- BBC Radio 4. (2012, April 30). Donald Broadbent and the Cocktail Party. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01gvkw7
Claudia Hammond examines the legacy of Donald Broadbent the psychologist who launched the cognitive revolution.
