Divided Attention
Do all of our cognitive processes withdraw from the same cognitive bank? How is it that we are able to drive a car, chew gum, talk on the phone and listen to music all at once? Is it possible that our mental resources are somehow specialized in such a way so that different tasked are allocated different resources at different strengths? Our brain is unfathomable in it's ability distribute responsibility to different regions and the storage of it's memory will and can never be known. With technology many questions are being answered and with regards to divided attention. Brain imaging techniques such as the PET scan uses 2-deoxyglucose, which is injected into the patient's carotid artery. Because of its similarity to glucose (brain fuel) it is absorbed by active energy consuming neurons. Fortunately this form of glucose derivative does not become metabolized hence giving us the researcher the ability to tell where the activity is located with a precision of a few millimeters. The PET scan was at on time the only tool used to find the location of neurological processes but now they have fMRI, which is less time consuming and less messy. With these imaging tools, the use of the computerized tachistoscope and t
People draw inferences on a wide variety of things and will assume the presence of an object even if it is not there. If the combined demand for the tasks is greater than the available resources a task will suffer due to interference. I found it interesting how old information could become entangled with new information and perceived as the actual event even though the new information was obtained later. Leading an eyewitness with certain questions consumes a majority of the opposition's objections. My best friend's dad was in Vietnam and suffers from post traumatic stress disorder I have spent countless nights drinking with him listening to his stories and firing questions. Most of my divided attention can be explained by automaticity. Most of my shift is spent on auto pilot which frees up my resources to be able to make conversation with my fellow employees but most often with customers giving them my reviews on movies I have seen. Performing tasks on the computer that at one time took total concentration with practice have become actions I could do with my eyes closed. Many studies prove this to be true and all conclude the degree of interference depends on the nature of the tasks being performed. The Role of Meaning and Memory Connections Obtaining new knowledge requires learning and input of new material into long term memory. For example I work at Blockbuster Video as my off campus job and I find the job very easy due to practice. It says that detectors that have fired recently will have a higher baseline level. Activation Levels and Response thresholdThe fact that some neurons are easier to activate than others interests me but from a biological standpoint I am confused. With this knowledge at hand I have finally answered a question I have tormented my grade school teachers with; "why do we have to know this?" I would have liked an educated answer back then but unfortunately it was not offered.
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