2.1 Thinking and Remembering
Problem 1
Learning Goals:
A. Why can we sometimes pay attention to different things at once, and sometimes
not?
Key words: Selective and divided attention
B. To what extent is it possible to attend to 2 stimuli simultaneously?
Can this be trained? (Divided attention)
What theories are there and how do they differ from each other?
C. Are external stimuli always distracting/inhibiting?
How is divided attention measured?
Problem A
Inattentional bias- failure to notice unexpected objects or events when attention is
focused elsewhere
Eg. monkey business video
Perception of world is limited- process only 1 stream of info at once > receives attention
Dichotic listening- phenomenon where 2 speech streams are heard by listener, asked
to repeat stream heard by one ear, won’t notice changes to speech in other ear such as
language chance
Form of cognitive deafness due to selective attention (selective listening)
Don’t notice events happening outside of focus, even when looking at them
Neisser & Co Experiment
Method: Viewed video of 2 distinct but partially transparent/overlapping events, asked to
monitor one stream of video (eg. white people passing ball)
Results: often failed to notice unexpected events in ignored video stream
Chabris & Simons Experiment “Monkey Business”
Built on Neisser Et Al. Changes:
Filmed with single camera
Players fully visible
Gorilla walked across stage and thumped chest
Results: Half of observers missed the gorilla when counting team passing in white
More likely to notice unexpected objects if share features with attended items in
display
Even unique items can be unnoticed
More effort put into attention-demanding task, less likely to notice other events
eg. gorilla
o Limits not just visual, eg. also limited cognitive resources
Auditory distractions induce real-world failures to see eg. driving while on phone,
decreases situation awareness and increases chances of missing something
important
Greater demands on attention, less like to notice objects outside of attention
Under conditions of distraction, develop tunnel vision
Individual Differences in Noticing
Study 1: greater working memory capacity likely notice unexpected objects
o Have more resources available when focusing attention, likelier spot other
things
Theory: greater working memory capacity, more resource available, likelier to
notice
C Other studies found no differences
Study 2: Ability to perform task doesn’t predict likelihood of noticing
Theory: greater working memory capacity means better focus, so should be less
likely to notice distractions
Mistaken Intuition
Problem 1
Learning Goals:
A. Why can we sometimes pay attention to different things at once, and sometimes
not?
Key words: Selective and divided attention
B. To what extent is it possible to attend to 2 stimuli simultaneously?
Can this be trained? (Divided attention)
What theories are there and how do they differ from each other?
C. Are external stimuli always distracting/inhibiting?
How is divided attention measured?
Problem A
Inattentional bias- failure to notice unexpected objects or events when attention is
focused elsewhere
Eg. monkey business video
Perception of world is limited- process only 1 stream of info at once > receives attention
Dichotic listening- phenomenon where 2 speech streams are heard by listener, asked
to repeat stream heard by one ear, won’t notice changes to speech in other ear such as
language chance
Form of cognitive deafness due to selective attention (selective listening)
Don’t notice events happening outside of focus, even when looking at them
Neisser & Co Experiment
Method: Viewed video of 2 distinct but partially transparent/overlapping events, asked to
monitor one stream of video (eg. white people passing ball)
Results: often failed to notice unexpected events in ignored video stream
Chabris & Simons Experiment “Monkey Business”
Built on Neisser Et Al. Changes:
Filmed with single camera
Players fully visible
Gorilla walked across stage and thumped chest
Results: Half of observers missed the gorilla when counting team passing in white
More likely to notice unexpected objects if share features with attended items in
display
Even unique items can be unnoticed
More effort put into attention-demanding task, less likely to notice other events
eg. gorilla
o Limits not just visual, eg. also limited cognitive resources
Auditory distractions induce real-world failures to see eg. driving while on phone,
decreases situation awareness and increases chances of missing something
important
Greater demands on attention, less like to notice objects outside of attention
Under conditions of distraction, develop tunnel vision
Individual Differences in Noticing
Study 1: greater working memory capacity likely notice unexpected objects
o Have more resources available when focusing attention, likelier spot other
things
Theory: greater working memory capacity, more resource available, likelier to
notice
C Other studies found no differences
Study 2: Ability to perform task doesn’t predict likelihood of noticing
Theory: greater working memory capacity means better focus, so should be less
likely to notice distractions
Mistaken Intuition
