PSYCH 1X03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Visual Search, Speech Shadowing, Computer Monitor
Document Summary
Without the a(cid:271)ilit(cid:455) to fo(cid:272)us (cid:455)our li(cid:373)ited pro(cid:272)essi(cid:374)g resour(cid:272)es (cid:455)ou (cid:449)ould(cid:374)"t (cid:271)e a(cid:271)le to (cid:272)arr(cid:455) o(cid:374) a conversation, enjoy music or learn new things. Selection: the act of attending to an object to select it apart from the unattended objects. As you first put on clothes you can feel the fabric as it touches your skin, however as you go along with your day these sensations fade into the background noise of stimuli competing for your attention. Some stimuli such as a flashing light trigger your attention in an automatic fashion. Attention also refers to our conscious ability to attend to the information that is relevant to our goals. When irrelevant information overwhelms us we get distracted. Irrelevant information acts as noise that can make it difficult to identify important information. Sometimes the noise overwhelms the signal and you get distracted. Assumed to operate in a fast, efficient and obligatory manner.
