Divided Attention

time. However, this becomes possible only with highly practiced activities, because they become almost automatic and require less attention to perform than new or slightly practiced activities. Automatic processing has three main characteristics; (i) It occurs without intention, (ii) It takes place unconsciously, and (iii) It involves very little (or no) thought processes (e.g., we can read words or tie our shoelaces without giving any thought to these activities). or social needs.

When we are hungry, we notice even a faint smell of food. A student taking an examination is likely to focus on a teacher’s instructions more than other students. Cognitive factors include factors like interest, attitude, and preparatory set. Objects or events, which appear interesting, are readily attended by individuals.

Similarly we pay quick attention to certain objects or events to which we are favourably disposed. Preparatory set generates a mental state to act in a certain way and readiness of the individual to respond to one kind of stimuli and not to others. Theories of Selective Attention A number of theories have been developed to explain the process of selective attention. We will briefly discuss three of these theories.

Filter theory was developed by Broadbent ( ). According to this theory, many stimuli simultaneously enter our receptors creating a kind of “bottleneck” situation. Moving through the short-term memory system, they enter the selective filter, which allows only one stimulus to pass through for higher levels of processing. Other stimuli are screened out at that moment of time.

Thus, we become aware of only that stimulus, which gets access through the selective filter. Filter-attenuation theory was developed by Triesman ( ) by modifying Broadbent’s theory. This theory proposes that the stimuli not getting access to the selective filter at a given moment of time are not completely blocked. The filter only attenuates (weakens) their strength.

Thus some stimuli manage to escape through the selective filter to reach higher levels of processing. It is indicated that personally relevant stimuli (e.g., one’s name in a collective dinner) can be noticed even at a very low level of sound. Such stimuli, even though fairly weak, may also generate response occasionally by slipping through the selective filter. Multimode theory was developed by