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SELECTIVE ATTENTION

ATTENTIONAL BLINK

AYEGL ZOBAN - 122416

GLEN KAYALI - 121079
NAZANN YAZDANMANESH 118261
ASLI BIYIKLI-110961

INSTRUCTOR: Do. Dr. LMYE SEER

EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN UNIVERSITY

Attentional Blink
Attention is the ability to detect and respond to stimuli.Attention is not unitary construct.It
just like memory there are many different types of attention.Selective attention is person who
exposure multiple stimuli,persons attention focused only important or target stimuli and
person who ignore other stimuli.Because it is not important possible to give attention to every
stimulus in the environment(Eysenck, Keane, 1995).Broadbents theory described two stimuli
or messages presented at the same time gain access in parallel.Physical characteristics formed
filter on the basis and goal this filter was more prevents overloading(Eysenck, Keane, 1995)
Human brain has limited attentional resources.Human brain manage limited amount of
knowledge in the cognitive process. Most of the time,people might have multiple stimuli at
the same time but people cannot focused on pay attention to these stimuli. In the other words
as a conclusion some stimuli are process or some stimuli are not process .It performs in a
short time .When people paying attention to one thing , after that they could not pay attention
another thing or stimuli. AttentionalBlink involves Rapid Serial Visual Presentations
(RSVP).Sometimes some stimuli might quickly. So, the current study RSVP is significant for
attention. RSVP is also related to temporal separation. The temporal separation is the distance
between two targets and it is depending on the time. In this paradigm (RSVP) some stimuli
for example letters, digits, words are presented in same location and so short time ( Raymond,
Shapiro, & Arnell, 1992).
The aim of the current study was to examine to whether the detection of two target letters
depending on the temporal separation so how well recognize whether second letter detected
when follows first letter. The hypothesis of the current study the detection of second target
letter will increase if temporal separation also increases.

Method
Participants
Participants were students aged over 18 years old.16 students (11 female and 5 male) from
Eastern Mediterranean University, Department of psychology.
Materials
The experiment was carried out in the CogLab and the participants used Attentional Blink
programme on the computer.
Procedure
The experiment was carried out in the Psycho-Biology laboratory and to start the experiment,
of Attentional Blink,participants click on the folder .The screen was black sequence of eight
letters were appear rapidly (100ms) on the monitor .The participants had two target letters on
the experiment.They were J and K .These target letters were presented based on the time.In
the other word, the first target letter sometimes were presented shortly before second target
letter,but sometimes between the first target letter and second target letter were anyother
letters and sometimes the target letters did not appear on the monitor and when the
participants see the J and K on the monitor, they tapped the both. When the participants see
only one of them (J) or (K), they tapped the one letter and if participants see nothing, they
tapped the only spacebar and then pass the later sequence and go on.This experiment repeated
by the participants in 90 times.

Results
The results showed that when the two different letters entered into the target letters which are
J and K, detection rate was 55%.On account of the fact that, when six letters entered into J
and K the detection rate was become 66%.
Discussion
In the current study, the hypothesis about the detection of the second target letter is increased,
if temporal separation was also increase highly supported.As a result it was observed that
when the two different letters entered into the target letters, the detection rate was lower than
entered many different letters. Past research refers to was experimenting about one selective
memory which is to pay attention only to one thing. For example she got reading. When she
read a book her eyes focused only in the words rapidly succeeding one another. Rapid Serial
Visual Presentation (RSVP) based on selective attention the detection will be easier and have
more chance to be transferred. However, the findings are almost same between the past
research and the current research. In the current study refers to depending on temporal
separation so time, the detection is increase. Human brain is limited. Such as on the objects or
stimuli. In the current study the out of the target letters, participants were not focus on other
letters. The probable reasons can be considered as follows, time was so fast thus participants
might not be focus on second target. The time and temporal separation could be a longer. In
the following experiments this factor could be a considering.

References
Eysenck, M.W., & Keane, M.T. (1995).Cognitive Psychology, 4th edition, Psychology Press:
New York. 141-144
Raymond, J.E., Shapiro, K.L., &Amell, K.M. (1992). Temporary Suppression of Visual
Processing in an RSVP Task: An Attentional Blink.Journal of Experimental
Psychology, 18, 849-860