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Here is the study guide for weeks 4 and 5. Some of the questions are a little bit challanging and require to put together information from different sources.

OK, it is also another of my attempts to force participation in class. Ask questions if something is hard to understand!!

I may add few more questions from the next two lectures.

STUDY GUIDE

FROM: Wed April 22nd lecture

1. Describe the spatial cueing paradigm. Which kind of task does the subject perform? What are the conditions used in these experiments? What are the typical results? What do those results suggest about spatial orienting of attention?

2. How can one demonstrate that the results of the spatial cueing task are not simple the effect of a change in response criterion for cued locations?

3. Which region of the brain is involved in spatial orienting of attention? Which kind of deficit do patients with lesion in this region show? Is it a sensory deficit? What is the name of this deficit?

4. What is the relationship between eye movements and movement of attention in space?

5. Describe the flanker task. Which kind of task does the subject perform? What are the condition used in these experiments? What are the typical results? Which conclusions can we draw from these results?

FROM CHAPTER 5:

1. What is a dichotic listening task? What is a speech-shadowing task? What are the main results of this experimental paradigm? Which aspects of the unattended message were easy to remember (which cognitive code?)? Which aspects of the unattended message were difficult to remember (which cognitive code?)?

2. Try the experiment 5A, p 143 and answer the questions at the bottom of the box; which cognitive codes seems to be activated by the unattended visual message?

3. What is the main characteristic of the structural models of attention? Can one of these models account for all the available data? Why?

4. What is the difference between late and early selection models of attention? Which codes are activated before selection according to Broadbent's model? Which codes are activated before selection according to Norman's model?

5. Describe Moray's experiment and the consequence of its results on Broadbent filter theory. Describe Treisman's attenuation model.

6. Describe MacKay's experiment and results. What is the priming effect? Which code must be activated in the unattended message to create a priming effect on the attended message?

7. What is the main characteristic of the resource models of attention?

8. Describe the dual task paradigm. What are the main results of this paradigm? Why do those results invalid Kahneman's single capacity model?

9. Describe Navon and Gopher's multiple resource model. Can you think on how this model can be implemented in the brain?

10. Describe the negative priming paradigm. What is the main result? How has this result been interpreted?

11. List the main differences between automatic and controlled processes. Describe Logan's instance theory of automaticity (which two processes can we use to perform a task? which one is probably used when performing a new task? which one is probably used when performing an automatic task? Why?)

12. Describe the Stroop task. What are the condition used? What are the main results? What is a possible explanation of this effect?

EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS AND FRONTAL LOBE READING

1. Which region of the brain was damaged in Phineas Gage? Which kind of problems did he show after the injury?

2. Describe the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task. Why do frontal lobe patients have trouble with this task?

3. Which changes in selective attention are observed in frontal lobe patients? What is the type of process that seems to be impaired in these patients?

4. How can the deficit in selection explain problems in the social behavior of frontal patients?

5. Describe the impairment in goal-oriented behavior found by Tim Shallice in his frontal patients. Was this impairment related to impairment in cognitive abilities measured by the IQ test?.

6. What are the three essential components for successfully executing and action plan according to Duncan?

7. Describe Norman and Shallice's model of goal-oriented behavior. Which are the situations in which the supervisory attentional system needs to be activated?

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