Maintaining attention on relevant stimuli and simultaneously suppressing the irrelevant information is essential for an individual to process the information successfully. Attentional top down control in the presence of interference has been widely studied using the Stroop paradigm. The Stroop effect was first described about 70 years ago (Stroop, 1935). But it was intensively studied in cognitive neuroscience as a viable research tool for investigation of perceptual and cognitive abilities (Dyer & Severance, 1973; Jensen & Rohwer, 1966; MacLeod, 1991). In spite of many modifications throughout the years, the basic principle remains the same. In classical Stroop task, the participants name the colours of the inks in which incongruent colour words are printed (e.g., RED printed in blue ink) while ignoring the words. Participants took longer time to name the ink colours when presented with incongruent colour words than when presented with colour control stimuli (e.g., colour patches). Visual Stroop and its effects have been studied over the years more detailed when compared to auditory...
Although correlation does not equal causation, we can conclude that similar cognitive processes, such as interference and automaticity, have influenced the results in our experiment. This can be expressed by the data and in identifying and saying aloud/reading a simple number compared to quantifying simple numbers. The cognitive load of reading familiar or smaller words is lower than that of counting, thus creating perchance a longer reaction time. In the experiment conducted in class as well as the one conducted by Stroop, the issue of divided attention may have been a great factor in interference or prolonged reaction time in the conditions. Psychological refractory period which states that the response to a second stimulus is slowed down by the first stimulus being processed; this can be a cause for the finding of increased reaction time when conflicting information is given. Attention may unconsciously be given to the less complex task, which is reading/identifying, and counting the main and more complex task may be interfered by the simpler stimulus. The expectation of having a longer reaction time when conducting the incongruent task was referenced back to the Stroop effect due to the similar implications of identifying and saying aloud the color presented in the print of the color descriptive word (Stroop,
Atomic Absorption (AA) Spectroscopy is a quantitative analysis technique that uses the absorption of light through a flame and gaseous chemicals. AA Spectroscopy can be used for a multitude of purposes, most notably finding the concentration of one or a few elements in a compound. AA Spectroscopy can work in two different ways using an open flame and gaseous chemicals or a graphite furnace. Flame AA Spectroscopy works by taking a compound or element and disassociating it into an aqueous solution. The solution is then blown through an incredibly small nozzle which nebulizes the liquid into a very fine mist. The nebulized liquid is then blown through a flame with a very small beam of light passing through it. This light beam detects different elements in the flame and uses the known light absorbance of the element to determine the concentration of the element in the solution. The other form of AA Spectroscopy uses a graphite furnace to heat up and incinerate a sample. A solid compound is placed in the furnace which then heats up to 2000-3000 C effectively atomizing the compound and in the process turning the rest into ash. The light beam is then shot through the furnace as the solid is being heated and subsequently atomized and the machine records the absorbance rate much like the Flame AA Spectroscopy would. The difference between flame and furnace spectroscopy is in the atomization of the sample; because the Flame Spectroscopy uses pressure to atomize the compound, much of the compound is lost when sprayed
...We also saw that memory can play an important role too, but this is not yet clearly demonstrated. Moreover some studies reveal that the congruency (vs. incongruence) of the critical stimulus can also play an important role in awareness, a phenomenon called cocktail party effect. Such phenomenon makes clear that the relevance of the stimuli plays a key role in awareness and perception. The cocktail party effect is the phenomenon of being able to focus one's auditory attention on a particular stimulus while filtering out a range of other stimuli, much the same way that one can focus on a single conversation in a noisy room and yet be able to hear if someone calls out his name or other relevant stimuli (danger words for example). Still, sometimes we fail to perceive something that is happening right in front of us. It is easy to miss something you’re not looking for.
In this documentary we get to discover the differences between our conscious and unconscious brain. This video provides us with useful information on how and why our brains act in the way they do using multiple tests to prove each point. Our brains are made of parts, like a car, and they all are needed in order to function properly. The video names the parts and the functions of each throughout the video. They use a magician’s tricks throughout the documentary to show how our brains suppress what is not in our “spotlight” attention proving that our brain can only focus on one thing at a time. If we compare this to our textbook, it says that this is called selective attention. The marshmallow test, showed in the video, helps us understand how
...ce for increased activity in visual areas or the fusiform gyrus, which is connected with color perception. These results have shown that spoken words result in co-activation of color processing areas, but not visual areas connected with the perceptual process of color. Sadly, the conclusions don’t reveal which perceptual or cognitive processes might cause the difference with people with synaesthesia and the controls.
McDonald, J., Teder-Salejarvi, W, & Hillyard, S. (2000). Involuntary orienting to sound improves visual perception. Nature, 407, 906-907.
Treisman, A. (1964). Monitoring and storage of irrelevant messages in selective attention. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behaviour, 3(6): 449-459.
Macleod and Mathews (1991) induced attentional biases within a laboratory setting to determine that a ca...
Helfer (1998) recognized the slowing of our temporal perceptual processes with increasing age. He suggested that this leads to auditory deformity, especially in the instance of time compressed speech. Speech comprehension requires rapid processing of stimuli that is not always completed in time-compressed speech because of the shortening of phonemes and a decrease in pauses. Helfer went a step further by taking into account that hearing is not just auditory but it is also visual, in that we use cues like looking at the person's mouth or facial expression while having a conversation.
Donovan, W. L. & Leavitt, L. A. (1980). Physiologic correlates of direct and averted gaze. Biological Psychology, 10, 189-199.
Craik and Tulving did a series of experiments on the depth of processing model. They had participants use a series of processing methods to encode words at different levels; shallow, moderate, and deep. The subjects were shown a series of words and ask questions about the words that would provide a "yes" or "no" response. At the shallow level they were asked questions about whether or not the word was written in capital letters. At the moderate level of processing, the subject was asked questions as to whether or not two words rhymed. Finally, the subjects were asked about words in sentences and whether or not they fit. This was the deep level of processing. After participants had completed the task they were then given a surprise recognition test with the words that they were just asked questions on (target words) and then words that they have never seen before (distraction words). The results of the experiment showed that people remembered the words better that were at deeper level of processing (Craik and Tulving 1975).
2. Eyestrain- this is when you look at a VDU screen for a long time.
The Stronger by August Strindberg is a play that is filled with irony. One of the first things noticed in this play is that the characters have no names, nor are they labeled by any type of status. Rather than having names like most plays, the two characters are differentiated by the letters "X" and "Y." Another ironic thing about this play, is how it is written; the dialogue of the play is not evenly spoken. Instead of the two characters conversing between one another, the play is written almost like a monologue where only Mrs. X speaks. Because Mrs. X is the only speaker, one would think that she is "the stronger," but ironically, she is not.
McClelland, J. L., & Rumelhart, D. E. (1981). An interactive activation model of context effects in letter perception: I. An account of basic findings. Psychological review, 88(5), 375.