PSYC 1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Negative Space, Interposition, Hair Cell

• School: Northeastern University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 1101
• Professor: Eidson

Document Summary

Selective attention- brain"s ability to choose a focus and select what to notice. Positive- cocktail party effect- mental spotlight on a conversation even when others are going on around us. Negative- hyperfocus on conversation while driving, putting driver at risk. Selective inattention- failure to notice part of our environment when our attention is directed elsewhere. Inattentional blindness- when attention is focused on a specific event, one can miss things going on nearby that are seemingly obvious to an outsider. Change blindness- individuals don"t notice changes in surroundings when they"re focused on one specific thing. Sensation- process by which sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment. Perception- process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events. Brain makes sense of our input from sensory organs. Bottom-up processing- taking sensory information, then assembling and integrating it. Top-down processing- using models, ideas, and expectations to interpret sensory information.