2. INTRODUCTION
Attention is a psychological process that we apply in
our everyday lives.
Attention does not refer to the implied aspect of
concentrating on a particular task.
It refers to a process in which an individual takes
possession of information in a progressive manner
that allows for its storage and retention.
Attention can be understood as part of the
perceptual processes and also as part of the
memory.
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3. INTRODUCTION
James,; defines attention as “taking possession of the
mind in clear, vivid form out of what seems several
simultaneously possible objects or trains of
thoughts” (1890;P,403).
Our environment is ever dominated with different
simultaneous stimuli and there is need to focus on
the stimuli both in perception and cognition.
Human communication system has a limited capacity
to process all the stimuli in the environment.
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4. INTRODUCTION
The human communication selects what to attend to and
focus attention to.
Selective attention is a situation in which individuals try
to attend to only one source of information while
ignoring other stimuli (Eysenck & Keane, 2010).
a situation in which two
Divided Attention is when two tasks are performed at the
same time.
Attention has being categorized to occur at two levels;
consciously and unconsciously.
Bourguignon (2000), Consciousness refers to the feeling
of awareness and the content of awareness.
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5. INTRODUCTION
Unconsciousness is the feeling of not being
aware of the content or the focus of attention.
Attention has also being classified as active
and passive.
Active attention occurs in a top down way
which is controlled by the individual’s goals
while passive attention occurs in a bottom-up
approach in which it is controlled by the
stimuli.
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6. THEORIES OF ATTENTION
BROADBENT’s FILTER THEORY
Humans have a sensory buffer that allows only one
sensory stimulus at a time even when two stimuli are
presented simultaneously.
The theory suggests that attention is as a result of a
limited capacity of the information processing
system, which occurs through the sensory buffer
(filter).
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8. THEORIES OF ATTENTION
The theory suggest that focus on a particular stimuli
occurs via the sensory system is that processes
stimuli with highlighted physical features holding
back the other stimuli for later processing.
It is assumed that the filter operates on a pre-
categorical stage whereby the information is
attended to before assigning any mental category or
meaning.
sensory stimulation is gathered through a parallel
model while the interpretation and processing occurs
in a serial model.
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9. THEORIES OF ATTENTION
ATTENUATION THEORY (TRIESMANN)
Suggests that irrelevant or unattended information is not
completely filtered out.
The strength of the information is the one that
determines its processing (attenuation).
Messages differ in “subjective loudness”
Attention modulates subjective loudness: attended
channel is louder
Individual words have different thresholds of subjective
loudness to be noticed e.g. the cocktail phenemonon.
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10. THEORIES OF ATTENTION
LATE SELECTION THEORY (Deutsch & Deutsch)
This holds that all information is being processed at
same level, but Selection occurs late in processing
(after information enters STM).
Listeners can access the meaning of unattended
information.
The limitation is in the response system, not the
perception, e.g. When we have auditory and visual
stimuli we can process both but only respond to one.
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11. AUTOMATIC ATTENTION
Automatic attention is defined as effortless,
unconscious & involuntary processing of information
which proceeds without our conscious awareness
(Posner, 1978).
This does not entail that the person is not aware of
what they are doing but it simply means that a
person does not need to think about the process in
order to perform a task.
Automatic attention does not just become automatic
in the literally sense but it involves practice and
association of information.
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12. AUTOMATIC ATTENTION
The early process of attention involves the conscious
awareness before it becomes unconscious.
Automatic attention involves practice and association of
information that enables the creation of a cognitive map
for the information.
Automatic processing has a direct link with memory
because in order for someone to be able to perform a
task.
Logan (1988), suggested that automatization occurs
because we gradually accumulate knowledge about
specific responses to specific stimuli.
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13. AUTOMATIC ATTENTION
• Automatic processes occur in no particular sequence
because they involve less of control and conscious
awareness.
• Automatic attention is termed as a parallel processes.
• Automatic attention has three attributes that
characterize any automatic process these are (Posner &
Snyder, 1975);
1. Not part of consciousness,
2.Unintentional
3. Consumer few resources
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14. AUTOMATIC ATTENTION
Practice reduces the need for attention by reducing
central cognition, making a task automatic.
Controlled processes require intentional efforts,
conscious awareness and also sequencing.
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15. VISUAL ATTENTION
Yantis (2008), Human visual attention system can
divided into two systems which is; voluntary (goal-
directed) and also involuntary (stimulus-driven).
Visual attention is either driven by our interest or the
attraction of the stimulus.
The goal directed system is based on expectations,
knowledge and current goals.
Stimulus driven is based on unexpected, potentially
important stimulus which redirects the focus of
attention.
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16. VISUAL ATTENTION
Goal directed system has being linked to the
operation of a spotlight in the sense that visual
attention highlights only a small part of the visual
space.
• visual attention can be object- or location-based, and
can be used flexibly.
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17. VISUAL ATTENTION
Visual Search
visual search is a task involving the rapid detection of a
specified target stimulus within a visual display.
Feature integration theory, suggests that features of an
object are processed in a parallel model and then
combined by focused attention.
This theory makes a distinction between the features of
objects (e.g. colour, size, lines in particular orientation)
and the objects themselves.
The visual features of objects in the environment are
processed together; this does not depend on attention.
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18. VISUAL ATTENTION
Feature combination can be influenced by stored
knowledge.
Feature integration theory assumes that lack of
focused attention can produce illusory conjunctions
(random combinations of features).
Visual attention is processed in the visual cortex.
Neglect (unilateral neglect), is a condition in which
there is a lack of awareness of stimuli presented to
the side of space on the opposite side of the brain.
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19. VISUAL ATTENTION
The brain damage is in the right hemisphere and
there is little awareness of stimuli on the left side of
the visual field.
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20. CONCLUSION
Attention can both be perceptual and memory
oriented.
Human attention accounts for the acquisition
of information and knowledge.
Attention is performed both consciously and
unconsciously through the different human
senses.
Human attention occurs in an integrated
fashion of all the senses.
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21. REFERENCES
James, W. (1890). Principles of psychology. New York: Holt.
Logan, G.D. (1988). Toward an instance theory of
automatization. Psychological Review, 95, 492 – 527.
Micheal W. Eysenck & Mark T. Keane. (2010) Cognitive
Psychology 6th Students Handbook. NewYork: Pyschology
Press
Yantis, S. (2008). The neural basis of selective attention:
Cortical sources and targets of attentional modulation.
Current Directions in Psychological Science, 17, 86 – 90.
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