Cognitive
Psychology

Models of Attention:

Filter and Limited Resource Models
Lesson III: Attention
module 14

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Cognitive
Psychology

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Case of selective attention: Shadowing© Steffen Werner - 2004

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Cognitive
Psychology

Models of selective attention

Three classes of models (not mutually exclusive)– Filter models of attention– Neisser’s pre-attentive and attentive processing– Limited resource models of attention
Filter models– differ in their assumptions on how far unattended
information is processed– Early vs. late filter models
Limited resource models– differ in their assumptions about the number ofresource pools available– Single pool or multiple modality-specific pool

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CognitivePsychology

Broadbent (1958): Filter theory of attention

Information is blocked early for unattended channel– Information is filtered at an early, sensory level– Only 1 channel of sensory information proceeds throughthis filter (bottleneck) and is interpreted– Other stimuli with salient sensory characteristics canalso pass through this filterUniversity of Idaho© Steffen Werner - 2004

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CognitivePsychology

Filter theory: Early selection

Characteristics of the model– Information is filtered at an early, sensory level– Only information in 1 channel can proceed (bottleneck)– Only this information is interpreted– Other stimuli with salient sensory characteristics canalso pass through this filter
Evidence– Not much is remembered about the unattended
informationProblems– Moray’s finding that people recognize their name in theunattended channel– Treisman’s finding of semantic processing of theunattended message (e.g., semantic continuity)
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Cognitive
Psychology What’s processed in the unattended channel?

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Cognitive
Psychology

Treisman (1960): Attenuation model

Information is attenuated differentially for channels– A filter determines how much information from eachchannel is being processed– Perceptual processing is limited in capacity– This model allows for highly relevant information to beinterpreted, even if the channel is not attended to
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CognitivePsychology

Deutsch & Deutsch (1963): Late Selection

Information from all channels is perceptuallyprocessed– Selection occurs late, after perceptual processing hasinterpreted the stimulus– Processing bottleneck occurs when items have to beplaced in short-term memory
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Cognitive
Psychology

Neisser’s (1967) “two stages” view

Preattentive processing– Automatic, fast, parallel– Mainly analysis of physical characteristics– Limited semantic processing (e.g., one’s name)– No deep semantic processing / analysis– Some initially attentive processing can get
automatized through extensive practice– Is the basis for perceptual grouping
Attentive processing– Controlled, slow, serial– Requires attentional resources– Enables semantic processing and synthesis

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Psychology

The Stroop (1935) effectEvidence for preattentive processing…

Read the color words out loud as quickly as possible

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Cognitive
Psychology

The Stroop (1935) effect

Read the color words out loud as quickly as possible

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CognitivePsychology

The Stroop (1935) effectPreattentive processing– Reading is automatic for skilled readers– Doesn’t require many resources– Can’t easily be suppressed
Reading the words leads to activation ofcompeting verbal responses– Processing the color leads to activation of the colorname (verbal response)– Processing the letters leads to activation of theword’s phonology (verbal response)– The conflict has to be resolved at the response
selection stage

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