Attention

(PSY-1001)
Course Instructor: Mahshameen Munawar
• The perceptual processes
that we've discussed so far,
causes to see this two-
dimensional array as a
person standing in front of
a house.
…
• More generally, our perceptual abilities let us :
• segment the world into objects,
• space into things like people and trees and houses (conceptualization &
categorization),
• and let us understand where they stand in relationship to each other.
• Where they stand in depth, giving rise to three-dimensional understanding,
out from a two-dimensional world.
…
• But how does all this information get from the world to the brain and
all the way into long term memory?
• Answer: This happens in three distinct stages!
…
• Sensory memory: basically, what you sense, what appears to your
senses.
• Short-term /Working memory: Associated with consciousness. That's
what you experience for a brief period.
• Long-term memory: what you carry with you.
…
• So, how things get from sensory memory into your working memory ?
• Answer is-Attention!

• Some surprising facts about attention:

• Attention gets information from sensory memory to working memory to
consciousness but a lot of what goes on in the world we are unaware of.
• Sometimes attention is effortless.
• Sometimes it requires work and effort.
 Find the Green Letter X

1… 2… 3…
 Spot the Letter ‘O’ now…

1 2 3…
 Now spot Red ‘O’….

1… 2… 3…
…
• Sometimes…attention is involuntary, you can’t help but attend. The
most obvious example is spoken language.
Here’s another case.
Stroop Effect
Summing
up…