Outline Attention Attention as a resource Driven to

Outline • Attention » Attention as a resource ◊ Driven to distraction » Hemineglect » Consciousness Study Question. • What is the red dot test and how is it used to test for self-awareness. 2/13/2022

Attention • The cell phone diversion » Strayer’s Research ◊ Used a driving simulator – Single vs. dual task – Hands free vs. hand held No difference ◊ Can drivers recognize objects that they have fixated on? – Recognition accuracy for fixated objects about half when conversing Even when fixation duration is equated performance was far worse ◊ The inattentional blindness hypothesis – Cell-phone conversation disrupts performance by diverting attention from the external environment associated with the driving task to the cellphone converstation.

Attention • The cell phone diversion » Strayer’s Research ◊ What about strategic reallocation? – There are important and unimportant objects ◊ Two-Alternative forced choice recognition – Drivers rated the importance of the items. ◊ Performance was significantly poorer in the dual task. – even when fixation duration is controlled. – Absolutely no effect of the importance of the object on the inattentional blindness effect.

Attention • The cell phone diversion » Strayer’s Research ◊ ERP study – The P 300: Related to attentional allocation. • Larger P 300 leads to better memory. • Decreases in P 300 is associated with complex tasks that draw resources. ◊ Car tailing paradigm. – EEG starts measuring when car ahead breaks (randomly)

Attention • The cell phone diversion » Strayer’s Research ◊ ERP study – 50% reduction in the amplitude of the P 300 • Slower reactions and fewer processing resources.

Attention • The cell phone diversion » Strayer’s Research ◊ Conversing on the phone vs. with a passenger ◊ Instructed to drive 8 miles down a freeway and exit at a truck stop. – Only 12% of drivers with a passenger missed the exit. – About 50% talking on a cell phone missed the exit • The passengers assisted the drivers

Attention • The cell phone diversion » Strayer’s Research ◊ Conversing and driving vs. drinking and driving – Car-tailing paradigm – Compared. 08% alcohol intoxication with hands held and hands free. No differences were observed between the cell phone conditions

Attention • The cell phone diversion » Strayer’s Research ◊ Conversing and driving vs. drinking and driving – Summary of results

Attention • The cell phone diversion » Cell phones and walking (Hyman et al. , 2009) ◊ Observed people crossing Red Square on the Western Washington University campus.

Attention • The cell phone diversion » Cell phones and walking (Hyman et al. , 2009) ◊ Observed people crossing Red Square on the Western Washington University campus.

Attention • The cell phone diversion » Cell phones and walking (Hyman et al. , 2009) ◊ Had a clown with bright purple and yellow clothes, red nose and big red shoes — riding a unicycle.

Attention • The cell phone diversion » Cell phone and walking (Hyman et al. , 2009) ◊ Had a clown with bright purple and yellow clothes, red nose and big red shoes — riding a unicycle. ◊ Two questions – Did you see anything unusual? – Did you see the clown?

Attention • Hemineglect (hemi-inattention) » “A disruption in the ability to look at something in the (often) left visual field of attention and pay attention to it. ” ◊ From Phantoms… : The Lost World

Consciousness • Anasognosia (denial of illness) » From “Phantoms”… The Sound of One Hand Clapping

Consciousness • What is consciousness? » Friendly Robotics Robo. Mower 21 -Inch Automatic Cordless Electric Lawn Mower? » A bat? » A newborn human baby? » Panpsychism - The notion that all objects possess some level of consciousness or mind.

Consciousness • What is consciousness? » Consciousness: Our subjective experience of the world and of our mental activity. » Cartesian dualism ◊ The theater of of the mind » Materialism ? ◊ The brain enables the mind ◊ But can it be studied? – Thomas Nagel: What is it like to be a bat? Thomas Nagel (b. 1937)

Consciousness • The subjective nature of consciousness » Sentience: Refers to the subjectivity of consciousness » Qualia: The properties of our subjective, phenomenology awareness ◊ The colour-blind neurophysiologist

Consciousness • Can consciousness be studied empirically? » Four Answers 1. No - it is metaphysical – Dualism – The colour-blind neurophysiologist – Thomas Nagel 2. No - it is beyond our cognitive ability – Not a full self-observing system – New Mysterians Cognitive Closure - We do not have the intellectual ability to solve extremely complicated problems.

Consciousness • Can consciousness be studied empirically? » Four Answers 3. Yes - but we do not have the technology yet 4. Yes - and we are very close to an acceptable answer ◊ Neuro-philosophy – ‘Easy’ questions about consciousness (Chalmers) How do we discriminate, integrate information, report mental states, focus attention, etc. – The ‘hard’ questions about consciousness Why do qualia exist? Why is there a subjective component to experience?

Consciousness • Awareness » Helmholtz’s Unconscious Inference ◊ Unconscious influences vs. cognitive control – Cognitive product vs. cognitive process distinction – Memory as an object vs. memory as a tool ◊ Jacoby’s false recognition experiment – Full versus divided attention – Nonfamous names learned (Sabastian Weisdorf) – Probability of Judging a name famous Famous Name New Condition Full Attention. 54 Divided Attention. 49 Nonfamous Name New Old. 18. 13. 14. 28

Consciousness • Awareness » Typology of implicit processing ◊ Classical conditioning ◊ Priming – Spreading activation ◊ Motor skills – Procedural memory ◊ Non-associative learning – Implicit learning of grammar » The objective - subjective threshold distinction » Blindsight

Consciousness • Self awareness » Self-recognition in humans ◊ The Paint test – 16 - 18 months ◊ Recognition in pictures – 2 yrs » In other species ◊ Chimps other great apes ◊ Some sea mammals ◊ Elephants ◊ Magpies

Consciousness • Self awareness » Self-recognition in humans ◊ The Paint test – 16 - 18 months ◊ Recognition in pictures – 2 yrs » In other species ◊ Chimps other great apes ◊ Some sea mammals ◊ Elephants ◊ Magpies

Consciousness • Intentionality and Agency » I move my arm ◊ It moves when I decide – Intention is followed by planning and executing the movement ◊ My subjective experience – I was the agent that moved my arm • There was no one lifting my arm

Consciousness • Intentionality and Agency » Fried et al (1991) ◊ Direct stimulation study – Explored the presupplementary motor cortex Urge to move right leg inward Feeling right hand movement is about to occur Urge to move right thumb and index finge

Consciousness • Intentionality and Agency » Reilly et al. (2009) ◊ Direct stimulation study – Explored the posterior parietal cortex • Found conscious feeling of wanting to move • Found conscious feeling that a movement had occurred -> Illusion of movement – Neural correlate of intention (wanting to move) and agency (having moved)

Consciousness • Intentionality and Agency » Free will ◊ An illusion? Libet’s research – Stimulate skin on right hand, stimulate right cortex (left hand area) – Judge when the two are occurring simultaneously – Counterintuitive finding The cortex needs to be stimulated 1/2 s earlier – Same differential when the thalamus is stimulated instead of skin.

Consciousness • Intentionality and Agency » Free will ◊ An illusion? Libet’s research – Used EEG to measure activity in motor cortex – Observers indicated when they had decided to make a movement You start making a movement 1/2 s before you decide to make it! ◊ Soon (2008) – Used MRI to find activity that could predict future decisions ◊ Conscious experience as ad hoc revisionism – Stalinistic vs. Orwellian revisionism » The executive veto ◊ Free “won’t”?