ATTENTION (continued):Implications, Treisman’s Model, Norman’s Model

<< ATTENTION:Single-mindedness, In Shadowing Paradigm, Attention and meaning

ATTENTION (continued):Capacity Models, Arousal, Multimode Theory >>

Cognitive Psychology PSY 504

Lesson 08

ATTENTION (continued)

Attention and meaning

Two undergraduates at Oxford, Gray and Wedderburn (1960), conducted an experiment. They

said if attention is low level process and select early, then the meaning should not be important.

And they demonstrated that subjects were quite successful in following a message that jumped

back and forth between ears. Shadow meaningful messages that were given to the subjects

were:

Left Ear: John Eleven books

Right Ear: Eight writes Twenty

Instructed to shadow the meaningful message, subjects reported: John writes books. Thus,

subjects are capable of shadowing a message on the basis of meaning rather than physical ear.

Implications

In this experiment subjects switched some information and select meaningful words whether they

were presented in left ear or right ear.

So this experiment proved attention can use meaning that is a higher level process. Attention is

probably not an early selector but a late selector.

Triesman's experiment

Treisman (1960) conducted an experiment to know are the attention is early selector or late

selector. In this experiment subjects are asked to shadow message in Left ear. The messages

are:

In Left area: I was going there when/ China, smoke, lovely, chirping

In Right Ear: books, chairs, tables, elephant/ I saw a bright flash

Many subjects switched ears to follow the meaningful message.

Attention models

1. Treisman's Model

Trisemen gave early selection model according to his experiment. In this model at bottom there

are shadow message that is to which attending and other message is other input. She said there

is not filter there is attenuator. Attenuator weakened unattended signals. After attenuator

information is processed in mental dictionary where some things are very important than other.

Like our name is important rather than table or fire. This model explains selection on the basis of

meaningful information. This all is showing in this figure..

Cognitive Psychology PSY 504

2. Broadbent's experiment

He was working on how skill created. And information processing his model shows senses take

information within their limited capacity. Then this information goes in short-term store. Short term

store is limit less because all the information is retained that receives by senses but only for a

very brief period. This short term store is sensory store. Then the selective filter tune out extra

information and pass selected information. Then limited capacity channel pass the important

information to other channels. One is going back toward short term store that is feedback loop.

Limited-capacity channel pass information to the store of conditional probabilities of past events.

This also moves again towards selective filter. Then information is going to system for varying

output until some input is secured channel. And then depending on what is happening we move

towards effectors. It means our physical response towards attention. The most important thing in

Broadbent's model is selective filter is soon after short term store. This models does not select on

the basis of meanings.

Broadbent's Model

Cognitive Psychology PSY 504

3. Norman's Model

Another model is given by Norman. This model is not very popular. Norman tried to explain

attention is late selector. He said we get all information that store in short term memory than in

long term memory. In long term memory we check its relevance when relevance is done we

select information and then pay attention. This is opposite model.

Cognitive Psychology PSY 504

There are two most important models:

1. Early selection model

2. Late selection model

Early selection model also are of two types one uses filter that is given by Broadbent and other

model uses attenuator that is given by Triesman. Filter model means filter some things are pass

and some are stopped. Attenuator means some information is weakened and some strengthens.

In Mental dictionary some things are very important for us. These things are strengthens bye

attenuator.

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