Cherry discovered that some people could focus on a single talker or conversation in a noisy environment by tuning out other sounds. The ability to focus your attention while filtering out the unnecessary noise is known as the ‘cocktail party effect’, first described by cognitive scientist Edward Colin Cherry in 1953. Despite the clanking of cutlery and the sound of others talking, you manage to chat. Imagine that you’re eating dinner and catching up with an old friend at a restaurant. But the focus is larger because you can zoom out and choose to focus on more information. Similar to the Spotlight model, the Zoom-Lens model suggests that we can increase or decrease our focus just like a zoom lens of a camera. However, certain areas, such as the white space on the sides, are still visible even if you choose not to focus on them. For example, when you use a magnifying glass, you focus only on the relevant or important text. The area outside the fringe is the margin which has little to zero focus. The fringe is visible but doesn’t fall under your direct focus. The area surrounding the focal point is called the fringe. To understand how selective visual attention works, let’s look at these two major models:Īccording to this model, visual attention works like a spotlight-we select information by concentrating on a focal point. There are two key types of selective attention we use to navigate our environment at any given moment. Reading your book on a public transport bus Having a conversation with a friend in a crowded place Listening to your favorite podcast while driving to work Here are some everyday examples of selective attention: In short, we center our attention on certain components of the environment by ignoring the rest or pushing them into the background. Since our attention is limited in terms of capacity and duration, selective attention allows us to focus on things that are relevant at the moment. It helps you focus on a particular task for a certain period of time. Selective attention is a type of attention. Paying attention involves focusing on or tuning out information, perceptions or sensations. Attention refers to a cognitive process that helps us respond to and interact with something or someone. You’ll be surprised at the extent to which we pay attention selectively to our tasks.īefore exploring the definition of selective attention, let’s understand what attention means. Read on to explore what selective attention is. This is because of selective attention psychology. Despite the distractions, you still manage to read and follow the cookbook. As you read the instructions, someone is watching television in the background and the noisy washing machine is running. Imagine that you are trying a new recipe from a cookbook for dinner.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |