1. Attention as a Limited Capacity Resource
Chapter 8
Attention as a
Limited Capacity Resource

2. Attention and Multiple Task Performance
Attention refers to engagement in the perceptual, cognitive, and motor activities
Associated with motor activities (i.e., performing skills)
Activities may be performed consciously or non-consciously
Scientists have concluded that attention limits influence performance

3. Attention Theories
Filter Theory, a.k.a. bottle neck theory, proposed a person has difficult doing several things at one time
Alternative Theory proposed attention limits were the result of the limited availability of resources
Theories emphasizing attentional resource limits: proposed multiple tasks can be performed as long as the resource capacity limits of the system are not exceeded

4. Attention Theories, cont’d
Central Resource Capacity Theories: attention-capacity theories that propose one central source of attention resources for which all activities requiring attention compete
Kahneman (1973) stated his model showed capacity limits of the central pool are flexible (Figure 8.3 “Kahneman’s Model of Attention”)

5. Attention Theories, cont’d
Central Resource Capacity Theories (cont’d)
Person gives a pool of effort upon activities to carry this out
Sufficient attentional resources are necessary

6. Attention Theories, cont’d
Central Resource Capacity Theories (cont’d)
Three rules influence how people allocate attention resources:
enduring dispositions
meaningfulness of the event (a.k.a. cocktail party phenomenon)
Momentary intentions

7. Multiple Resource Theories
Provides an alternative to theories proposed a central resource pool of attention resources
Contends we have several attention mechanisms with limited resources

8. Multiple Resource Theories, cont’d
Wickens (1980, 1992) proposed three sources for processing information
Input and output modalities
Stages of information processing
Codes of processing information

9. Procedures for Assessing Attention Demands
Dual-task procedure determine the attention demands and characteristics of the simultaneous performance of two different tasks
Primary task is the task of interest
Secondary task performance is the basis to make inferences about the attention demands of the primary task

10. Focusing Attention
Attentional focus: directing attention to specific characteristics in a performance environment or to action-preparation activity
Width indicates focus to be broad or narrow
Direction indicates attention of focus to be external or internal
Attention switching can occur to achieve successful performance and can have advantages and disadvantages, depending on the activity

11. Attention and Automaticity
Indicates that a person performs a skill or engages in certain information-processing activities without requiring attention resources
Practice plays a role with this concept
However, attention is given to parts of a routine that is considered difficult

12. Visual Selective Attention
Role of vision in motor skill performance in directing visual attention to environmental information that influences the preparation and/or performance of an action
Visual search is the process of directing visual attention to locate relevant information in the environment that will allow the skill to be performed in a specific manner to the situation

13. Visual Selective Attention, cont’d
Three procedures have been used to investigate this:
Temporal occlusion of video/film
Spatial, or event, occlusion of video/film
Eye-movement recordings

14. How We Select Visual Cues?
Visual search and intended actions
Feature integration theory: how people visually select and attend to certain cues while ignoring others during the performance
Visual search and action preparation
Action selection
Constraining of the selected action
Timing of action initiation

15. Attention as a Limited Capacity Resource
Chapter 8
Attention as a Limited Capacity Resource