TYPES OF ATTENTION

SELECTIVE ATTENTION

Selective attention is the ability to select certain stimuli in the

environment to process, while ignoring distracting information.

- Frances Friedrich

Eg: When you’re talking to a friend in a crowded area and you are actively
avoiding people talking in the background that is the external stimulus and
paying attention only to what’s being said by your friend. This is called
selective attention.

DIVIDED ATTENTION

Divided attention could be defined as our brain's ability to attend to two

different stimuli at the same time, and respond to the multiple demands of
your surroundings.

Eg: When you are driving someplace while listening to songs, you are able to
pay attention to the road ahead as well as enjoy the song. This is called divided
attention.

SUSTAINED ATTENTION

Sustained attention is "the ability to direct and focus cognitive activity on

specific stimuli." -DeGangi and Porges (1990)

Eg: Our ability to be thoroughly focused throughout the entire duration of the
exam is called sustained attention.

ALTERNATIVE ATTENTION

Alternating attention is the ability to change the focus of our attention and
switch between different tasks.

Eg: Our ability to learn the recipe as well as do the recipe side by side is an
example of alternative attention.
THEORIES OF ATTENTION

BROADBENT’S EARLY SELECTIVE THEORY:

In this study, the subjects were asked to do shadowing tasks. Using a technique
called dichotic listening, the subjects were asked to wear headphones which
played two completely different sets of noises in each ear. They were told to
repeat everything said in one ear and ignore the other. For example, if
numbers are playing in one ear and alphabets are playing in other.

According to this theory, all sensory input from the environment goes to the
sensory register. The sensory register briefly stores all the input, including all
types of noises in the environment. Then the input is transferred to a selective
filter. This selective filter, filters the input and identifies the physical
characteristics of the subject to pay attention to. After the selection filter, the
information moves towards the perceptual processes where it is assigned a
meaning. After perceiving the information, the response is processed and
delivered.

Broadbent's theory being one of the earliest model of attention had

drawbacks. It could not explain the cocktail party effect or the tendency to
deviate attention when something familiar is heard even when the attention is
focused on another subject.

DEUTSCH & DEUTSCH’S LATE SELECTION THEORY:

The noticeable difference from Broadbent’s theory found in this theory, is

that the order of selective filter and perceptual processes is interchanged.
First, the sensory input is registered and assigned meaning, then put through
the selective filter to process the information that needs to be passed to the
conscious awareness. Even though the theory sounds plausible, considering
how the brain works, absorbing all the information and then assigning
meanings does not sit right.
TREISMAN’S ATTENUATION THEORY:

According to Treisman, instead of a selective filter, we all have an attenuator.

Attenuate means to weaken. The attenuator weakens the input from the
unattended ear. Some of the input that comes from the unattended ear is still
assigned a meaning, however it does not come under high priority. If the
information from unattended ear is recognized to be of importance, we switch
and the previously attended ear attenuates.