Describe Broadbent's Model Of Selective Attention

Selective attention is the focusing of conscious awareness on a particular stimulus. (Myers, 2016, p.82) In round 3, of competitive cheerleading, we have to focus on many things while competing. While we are in a stunt, we have to look at the other cheerleaders around us and yell the words. Bases and backspots have to look the the flier, and make sure she is stable in the stunt they are in. We also have to make sure she does not hit the mat when the flier come out of a stunt. Back stops are required to look at the flier the whole time she is in the air. Bases are able to look switch their attention from the flier to the crowd. When we are moving to different positions, we have to watch the other girls moving around us so we do not collide.

Being able to pay attention is something that some people take for granted without appreciating it. Bereft of this luxury, we wouldn’t be able to properly communicate with others, focus on our goals, and most importantly, live as who we are

Attention is thought to be selective-focused on one subject at a time. Traditionally, it has been assumed that automatic processing is involuntary, it does not require attention, and is relatively fast; whereas, controlled processing is voluntary, does require attention, and is relatively slow. We can conclude from this that the more we repeat a certain material or tasks the more it becomes automatic and effortless to us.

Attention is considered to be a core cognitive process, it refers to how people actively process specific information in the environment. Attention refers to how people select from information and stimuli in the environment, facilitating processing of some of the stimuli and inhibiting processing of others. "Everyone knows what attention is, it is the taking possession by the mind in clear and vivid form, of one out of what seem several simultaneously possible objects or trains of thought...It implies withdrawal from some things in order to deal effectively with others, and is a condition which has a real opposite in the confused, dazed, scatterbrained state. “This definition of attention was proposed by psychologist William James (1890). This review will focus on literature that gives explanation to selective attention. Selective attention refers to the process where a person is able to select out of many stimuli and focus on the one they want and ignore other stimuli.

The results of Roediger and McDermott’s experiment were very significant. The participants recalled the critical distractor words 40% of the time compared to 14% recall of the normal distractor words. When they

Abrupt appearance of an object within peripheral visual fields are sudden onset distractors (SOD) and they can have effects on attention and reaction times. Attentional capture occurs when a distractor stimulus appears in a field of vision and pulls focus away from the task at hand. This has the effect of increasing reaction times as it diverts a subject’s attention while the brain registers and processes the new information. When the brain is focussed upon a specific task the distractor captures attention and thus can increase reaction time through this visual processing mechanism. This demonstrates automaticity, a reflex which is both not inhibited by increasing cognitive load (load-insensitivity criterion) and not voluntarily controlled (intentionality criterion). The attentional

Powell (1986) conducted a study in which individuals viewed a photo or slide. Individuals were required to scan images and decide on an image for the entire display (Powell, 1986). Objects were pointed to, and subjects were asked to identify its location (Powell, 1986). The subject was asked to close his or her eyes and were shown another image. The subjects were to decide if the object was in the correct position (Powell, 1986). The subjects would hear one of the objects and was required to focus on the object while keeping the entire image in his or her mind (Powell, 1986). When the next object was identified, the subjects were to move from the first object to the second watching a black dot moving in a straight line (Powell, 1986).

O: Client was seen in outpatient center for 45 min therapy session to address socialization, concentration and attention. Patient was able to identify 3 common distractions during tasks when asked. Pt was able to understand upon return demonstration .PT was able to applied the 2 strategies, given by the therapist, to redirect himself when realize that he is distracted .Pt was asked to be part of a game with another same age partner. Pt was able to initiate a conversation with one peer same age during a game. Pt was able to maintain attention on task for 15 min, with min distractions

For the purpose of finding evidence of the effect of divided and undivided attention on false recall the present study was performed at Huron University College in London, Ontario, Canada. The study aimed to find evidence that supports that when people have to perform two tasks at the same time - in other words, divide their attention

The Speed of Processing theory, which is what tends to happen when a person processes an action without being aware of it, is one of them [5]. Naming the color of the font of a word is not as common as reading an actual word. What this means is that easy tasks that we tend to overlearn since childhood, such as reading every word we see, tend to go into effect in our brain right after visual contact. Another explanation lies in the Selective Attention theory. Broadbent's 1985 study can explain the Selective Attention theory. Broadbent declared that information first enters a "sensory buffer" [6]. After the information enters the sensory buffer, selection of one of the inputs takes place within the basis of its physical characteristics. Broadbent places emphasis on what he calls a "sensory buffer" or filter in his study. This filter is used to prevent the brain from processing excessive amounts of information that could cause it to become overwhelmed and lose its ability to process the data efficiently [6]. The data that does not go through the filter does not become processed and eventually disintegrates [6]. Reading words does not require as much attention as naming the font color of a word does, which is why selective attention takes place [6]. Overall, the mind chooses to work with the task that requires the least amount of

Early studies have widely researched attention with selective processing (Driver, 2001). Broadbent (1958) filter theory of attention states that certain information does not require focal attention. It is based on certain stimulus attributes such as colour and shape (Friedenberg, 2012). A previous study carried out by Treisman and Schmidt (1982) proposes that when attention is diverted from a display of several figures, the participants incorrectly combine the features of colour and shape therefore increases the illusory conjunctions portrayed by the participants (Tsal, 1989). Another study by Shaw (1978) found that reaction time of participant to identify targets varied with the probability that a target would appear in a particular display location. These results indicate that different amounts of attention towards the targets are distributed to different positions in the visual field. However, Houck and Hoffman (1986) found that the feature integration of colour and orientation can sometimes be accomplished without attention (James et al.,

     When the brain recognizes familiar tasks it processes the information and applies the correct rules to the procedure in order to reduce the demand on the working memory and allow for higher order processing of information. Automaticity is the ability to effortlessly complete everyday tasks with low interference of other simultaneous activities and without conscious thought. The development of automaticity involves a shift in brain usage and a reduction in brain activity. As skills are repeated, the brain recognizes the information and can process it more quickly and with less effort(Cook).

Golemen (2015) defines the “subtle faculty” is defined as the ability of human beings to focus their attention on a particular person, place, or thing, which is a gauge of the success or failure in life. In this manner, the mental focus of human beings is the ability of the individual to succeed at maintaining the longest and most acute form of attention span over time: “”Our very nimbleness in life depends on this subtle faculty” (Goleman 2). Goleman (2015) is expressly arguing that the “focus” is one of the most important mental functions in the human mind. In fact, the ability of an individual to focus is part of a broader relationship with the memory, comprehension skills, and other aspects of daily cognition that are essential for human survival. This aspect of human thought is an underrated and often ignored facet of psychology: “Though it matters enormously for how we navigate life, attention in

Compare and contrast early vs late selection models of attention. How well do they explain how we selectively attend to information?

Research carried out on attention has mainly been associated with the selective processing of incoming sensory information. It proposes, to some degree, our awareness of the world depends on what we choose to focus on and not simply the stimulation received by our senses. Attention is often linked to a filter that screens out most potential stimuli whilst allowing a select few to pass through into our conscious awareness, however, a great deal of debate has been devoted to where the filter is situated in the information processing chain (Martindale, 1991). Psychologists have made extensive contributions to this subject matter in the past century. Notable examples include Donald Broadbent's filter theory of attention (1958), which set the