Records |
Author |
Zentall, T.R. |
Title |
Selective and divided attention in animals |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
2005 |
Publication |
Behavioural processes |
Abbreviated Journal |
Behav. Process. |
Volume |
69 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
1-15 |
Keywords |
Animals; *Attention; *Behavior, Animal; *Discrimination (Psychology); *Field Dependence-Independence; *Psychological Theory |
Abstract |
This article reviews some of the research on attentional processes in animals. In the traditional approach to selective attention, it is proposed that in addition to specific response attachments, animals also learn something about the dimension along which the stimuli fall (e.g., hue, brightness, or line orientation). More recently, there has been an attempt to find animal analogs to methodologies originally applied to research with humans. One line of research has been directed to the question of whether animals can locate a target among distracters faster if they are prepared for the presentation of the target (search image and priming). In the study of search image, the target is typically a food item and the cue consists of previous trials on which the same target is presented. In research on priming effects, the cue is typically different from the target but is a good predictor of its occurrence. The study of preattentive processes shows that perceptually, certain stimuli stand out from distracters better than others, depending not only on characteristics of the target relative to the distracters, but also on relations among the distracters. Research on divided attention is examined with the goal of determining whether an animal can process two elements of a compound sample with the same efficiency as one. Taken together, the reviewed research indicates that animals are capable of centrally (not just peripherally) attending to selective aspects of a stimulus display. |
Address |
Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, 202B Kastle Hall, Lexington, KY 40506-0044, USA. Zentall@uky.edu |
Corporate Author |
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Thesis |
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Publisher |
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Place of Publication |
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Editor |
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Language |
English |
Summary Language |
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Original Title |
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Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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ISSN |
0376-6357 |
ISBN |
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Medium |
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Area |
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Expedition |
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Conference |
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Notes |
PMID:15795066 |
Approved |
no |
Call Number |
refbase @ user @ |
Serial |
224 |
Permanent link to this record |
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Author |
Zentall, T.R. |
Title |
Support for a theory of memory for event duration must distinguish between test-trial ambiguity and actual memory loss |
Type |
Journal Article |
Year |
1999 |
Publication |
Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Exp Anal Behav |
Volume |
72 |
Issue |
3 |
Pages |
467-472 |
Keywords |
Animals; Behavior, Animal/physiology; Columbidae; Conditioning, Operant/physiology; Discrimination Learning/physiology; Memory/*physiology; *Psychological Theory; Time Factors; Time Perception/physiology |
Abstract |
Staddon and Higa's (1999) trace-strength theory of timing and memory for event duration can account for pigeons' bias to “choose short” when retention intervals are introduced and to “choose long” when, following training with a fixed retention interval, retention intervals are shortened. However, it does not account for the failure of pigeons to choose short when the intertrial interval is distinct from the retention interval. That finding suggests that stimulus generalization (or ambiguity) between the intertrial interval and the retention interval may result in an effect that has been attributed to memory loss. Such artifacts must be eliminated before a theory of memory for event duration can be adequately tested. |
Address |
Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington 40506, USA. zentall@pop.uky.edu |
Corporate Author |
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Thesis |
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Publisher |
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Place of Publication |
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Editor |
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Language |
English |
Summary Language |
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Original Title |
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Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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ISSN |
0022-5002 |
ISBN |
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Medium |
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Area |
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Expedition |
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Conference |
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Notes |
PMID:10605105 |
Approved |
no |
Call Number |
refbase @ user @ |
Serial |
251 |
Permanent link to this record |