This presentation reviews how attention works in our brains. It answers questions like:
1) How do we process our environment?
2) What is the path that stimuli go through?
3) What are the factors that capture our attention?
4) What about stimuli that we don’t consciously process?
5) And more...
This is my second presentation from the SAMRA 2011 conference. The first presentation on "gamification" can be found here: http://www.slideshare.net/ervler/gamification-future-or-fail
СЕМІНАР № 7
НІМЕЦЬКА КЛАСИЧНА ФІЛОСОФІЯ.pptxssuser242c5f1
Німецька класична філософія є значним і вагомим етапом у розвитку світової філософії, що охоплює напружений, дуже яскравий за своїми результатами, важливий за впливом на духовну історію людства період духовно-інтелектуального розвитку.
As the smallest physical unit of light, biophotons are stored in and used by, all biological organisms. Research on the purpose of these biophotons is proving important in modern science, and they may very well be in controll of every biochemical reaction that occurs in our body, including supporting the body's ability to function. It is an aspect that is an important aspect in the design and creation of Biodisc 2.
“Have you ever experienced bouncing around in gigantic bubbles in the sky? Have you ever undergone the punishment of a crime you never committed? Or have you ever felt like you’ve met someone before, when in reality you haven’t even seen them ever?”
- – – I’m sure you have!
This is the presentation based on the article I wrote on Dreaming. You can have a look at the article to have a better understanding:
http://thoughtsintowords.hol.es/philosophy/thetheoryofdreaming/
http://thoughtsdecipheredintowords.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-theory-of-dreaming.html
You can also like my page for more reads:
https://www.facebook.com/thoughtsdecipheredintowords
Also, subscribe on my website if you like.
And, don't forget to share the work you like. That is one way to express your admiration.
Learning and How to learn?Let me share some good tools for efficient way to learn
Let us begin….
Observe the word ‘learn’
Which familiar word is hiding in ‘learn’?
I learn You learn We all learn to ….
Yes! You are right. Three cheers!!!
The hidden word is ‘EARN’.
Here comes the second question.
What can we earn while learning?
You are right again!!
It depends on what is that we are learning and what for we are learning.
We may earn … certificate,
money,
job,
love,
independence etc…
but definitely we earn SATISFACTION.
Foooooo…..d
What’s your pick?
I got your attention!
That is the power of food.
As all of us need and love food, I decided to present my understanding in the form of a recipe.
Are you ready to take the simple and easy to follow recipe for a
tasty dish called……..
LEARNER?
Here ,we go!
Ingredients you need:
1. A person who wants to learn
2. Pomodoro technique
3. Deliberate practice
4. Sleep
5. Chunking and interleaving
Method
First, take a person who WANTS to learn.
Tip!
While selecting this ingredient, the only essential thing you need to look for is only ‘the urge to learn’.
Don’t worry if this item is damaged with procrastination.
Second step
In the second step, wash the learner thoroughly using ‘pomodoro technique’ to remove procrastination.
Why do we procrastinate?
Our neurons in the brain feel discomfort and cause pain whenever we start a work we really rather not to do.
Immediately the brain starts looking for something which eases pain and gives you pleasure at least temporarily.
Obviously you are postponing the required task; in other words, you are procrastinating.
Something to combat…….
What is this
‘Pomodoro’?
Pomodoro
Pomodoro(an Italian name for tomato) is the timer used in this technique.
It was developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s.
It is a little, yet powerful tool to overcome procrastination, the chief enemy for a learner.
How to follow?
Steps to follow:
1. Set yourself a period of 25 minutes
2. Turn off all interruptions
3. Focus intently on the subject you want to learn
4. At the end, give yourself a little reward
How does ‘Pomodoro’ help?
Research suggests that the neural discomfort you experience when you start a work which you rather not to do, will soon disappear once your focus is intent on that given task.
The 25 minutes of intent focus helps you not only to overcome the interruptions but also to address the problem on hand.
The little reward which you give yourself at the end makes you and your brain neurons relax.
Third step
In this step, add copious amounts of ‘deliberate practice’
Why to practice?
While dealing with seemingly abstract concepts and ideas in Math and Science, you need to strengthen the neural connections that are being made during the process of learning.
The more you prac
Katie Hunter and Gareth Sleightholme - Making Learning StickGareth Jenkins
A presentation from the first of the Ryedale Federation Twilight Training Sessions which took place in October where all 4 member schools took part in two training sessions hosted by both Primary and Secondary teaching staff.
The evening was an opportunity for staff from the different schools to meet each other, share ideas and teaching practice and participate in two sessions of four which they had prioritised themselves.
СЕМІНАР № 7
НІМЕЦЬКА КЛАСИЧНА ФІЛОСОФІЯ.pptxssuser242c5f1
Німецька класична філософія є значним і вагомим етапом у розвитку світової філософії, що охоплює напружений, дуже яскравий за своїми результатами, важливий за впливом на духовну історію людства період духовно-інтелектуального розвитку.
As the smallest physical unit of light, biophotons are stored in and used by, all biological organisms. Research on the purpose of these biophotons is proving important in modern science, and they may very well be in controll of every biochemical reaction that occurs in our body, including supporting the body's ability to function. It is an aspect that is an important aspect in the design and creation of Biodisc 2.
“Have you ever experienced bouncing around in gigantic bubbles in the sky? Have you ever undergone the punishment of a crime you never committed? Or have you ever felt like you’ve met someone before, when in reality you haven’t even seen them ever?”
- – – I’m sure you have!
This is the presentation based on the article I wrote on Dreaming. You can have a look at the article to have a better understanding:
http://thoughtsintowords.hol.es/philosophy/thetheoryofdreaming/
http://thoughtsdecipheredintowords.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-theory-of-dreaming.html
You can also like my page for more reads:
https://www.facebook.com/thoughtsdecipheredintowords
Also, subscribe on my website if you like.
And, don't forget to share the work you like. That is one way to express your admiration.
Learning and How to learn?Let me share some good tools for efficient way to learn
Let us begin….
Observe the word ‘learn’
Which familiar word is hiding in ‘learn’?
I learn You learn We all learn to ….
Yes! You are right. Three cheers!!!
The hidden word is ‘EARN’.
Here comes the second question.
What can we earn while learning?
You are right again!!
It depends on what is that we are learning and what for we are learning.
We may earn … certificate,
money,
job,
love,
independence etc…
but definitely we earn SATISFACTION.
Foooooo…..d
What’s your pick?
I got your attention!
That is the power of food.
As all of us need and love food, I decided to present my understanding in the form of a recipe.
Are you ready to take the simple and easy to follow recipe for a
tasty dish called……..
LEARNER?
Here ,we go!
Ingredients you need:
1. A person who wants to learn
2. Pomodoro technique
3. Deliberate practice
4. Sleep
5. Chunking and interleaving
Method
First, take a person who WANTS to learn.
Tip!
While selecting this ingredient, the only essential thing you need to look for is only ‘the urge to learn’.
Don’t worry if this item is damaged with procrastination.
Second step
In the second step, wash the learner thoroughly using ‘pomodoro technique’ to remove procrastination.
Why do we procrastinate?
Our neurons in the brain feel discomfort and cause pain whenever we start a work we really rather not to do.
Immediately the brain starts looking for something which eases pain and gives you pleasure at least temporarily.
Obviously you are postponing the required task; in other words, you are procrastinating.
Something to combat…….
What is this
‘Pomodoro’?
Pomodoro
Pomodoro(an Italian name for tomato) is the timer used in this technique.
It was developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s.
It is a little, yet powerful tool to overcome procrastination, the chief enemy for a learner.
How to follow?
Steps to follow:
1. Set yourself a period of 25 minutes
2. Turn off all interruptions
3. Focus intently on the subject you want to learn
4. At the end, give yourself a little reward
How does ‘Pomodoro’ help?
Research suggests that the neural discomfort you experience when you start a work which you rather not to do, will soon disappear once your focus is intent on that given task.
The 25 minutes of intent focus helps you not only to overcome the interruptions but also to address the problem on hand.
The little reward which you give yourself at the end makes you and your brain neurons relax.
Third step
In this step, add copious amounts of ‘deliberate practice’
Why to practice?
While dealing with seemingly abstract concepts and ideas in Math and Science, you need to strengthen the neural connections that are being made during the process of learning.
The more you prac
Katie Hunter and Gareth Sleightholme - Making Learning StickGareth Jenkins
A presentation from the first of the Ryedale Federation Twilight Training Sessions which took place in October where all 4 member schools took part in two training sessions hosted by both Primary and Secondary teaching staff.
The evening was an opportunity for staff from the different schools to meet each other, share ideas and teaching practice and participate in two sessions of four which they had prioritised themselves.
Attention - Fundamentals of Psychology 2 - Lecture 8.
The views expressed in this presentation are those of the individual Simon Bignell and not University of Derby.
Coaching Sprint Mechanics. What to look for. What to say. Mike Young
This is Dr. Mike Young's presentation from the 2014 Midwest Speed Summit. Dr. Young is the owner and Director of Performance at Athletic Lab sports performance training center and has coached multiple national champions in Track & Field along with working with some of the fastest athletes in soccer, football and baseball. This presentation focuses on applied sprinting mechanics and how coaches can best make technical changes. The presentation uses biomechanics and motor learning concepts and relates them to coaching the sprints.
How Attention Works - Kyle Findlay - TNS GlobalIgnasi Pardo
How Attention Works. "Kyle Findlay", TNS Global.
1. How do we process our environment?
2. What is the path that stimuli go through?
3. What are the factors that capture our attention?
4. What about stimuli that we don’t consciously process?
Cognitive science of design in 10 minutes or lessJohn Whalen
We as Designers underestimate the power of automatic brain processes and don’t take full advantage of them. By understanding the interactions between automatic and conscious processes, we can provide better experiences and more strongly influence decisions and behavior. Learn about how we perceive, how we make choices and persuasive design - all in 10 minutes or less!
How do you stay connected to your creative soul in a tech world Salema Veliu
This was a presentation l used for my radio appearance when l chatted to Nicolette at the Conscious Creative about the impact and influence of technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is having on the way we function as creatives. The positives, negatives and challenges of coexisting with this technology in a beneficial way. Along with the considerations of the Digital Effects on the Brain: Inspiration, Creativity, Motivation, &Performance.
You can catch the interview here https://anchor.fm/creative-genius-podcast/episodes/How-Does-Artificial-Intelligence-Impact-the-Way-Creatives-Function----Salema-Veliu-e466ac/a-a1ptlh
Alongside my survey you can take here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MX853NC on
Spirituality + Technology - Are they linked and if so what are the connections that may give us a greater understanding of who we are and how to adapt to the new world that is coming?
Efficiency in the Workplace Mindset Mastery and Meditation | BrightonSEO 2019...Briony Gunson
Drawing from experience as Operations Director at a digital marketing consultancy and also as a Modern Meditation teacher, I want to share our how our mindset plays a huge role in our efficiency at work. We spend so much time and energy looking to understand our clients, our target audience, our competitors… but turning that attention around and focusing in on ourselves, to get a better understanding of who we are, is one of the most productive things you can do. This talk was presented at BrightonSEO in April 2019: https://www.brightonseo.com/conference-talk/meditation-for-marketers/
Psychology behind mobile apps, Mobile Trends Conference Kraków 2015Piotr Biegun
Do you want to know how psychology affects our decision? How it's connect with our actions and how to use it in our favor of our products. Psychology behind mobile apps is all about understanding what makes users tick and us digital products.
10 minute talk at the Smartmobil 2014.
-----------------------------------------------------
Either a designer plans it or not, each and every app will have some kind of character, a personality that will trigger emotional reactions of it's users.
Emotional Design practices in User Experience and User Interface Design.
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thomasfogarasy.com
Psychology behind product development orang fabPiotr Biegun
During last workshops at Orange Fab in Warsaw we were talking about the role of a psychology in building digital products. Understanding how people are taking their decisions is important to deliver new products & services. It is affecting all aspects of a business like sales, marketing, customer experience and way we deliver our services.
The Art of Execution #2. The Learning/Doing RatioJohn Pisciotta
The Art of Execution
Innovation and Entertainment Technology
John Pisciotta Creative Entertainment Technology 20010 EIS2350.01
MIKE CURB COLLEGE OF ENTERTAINMENT AND MUSIC BUSINESS
@johnpisciotta http://www.loud-lab.com http://musicsynk.com
This deck summarises some of our research into the "shape" of conversation maps (i.e. interaction networks) on Twitter. We find that the shape, or pattern, of brand and campaign conversations tend to sit on a continuum from centralisation to decentralisation. The shapes often evolve along this continuum as brands adopt more organic, two-way conversation patterns rather than the one-directional broadcasting techniques so common in traditional channels such as television and radio.
This presentation is based on a paper that won the Best Methodological Paper award at the 2015 ESOMAR Congress conference. You can access the paper here: https://www.esomar.org/web/research_papers/Innovation_2714_The-Shape-of-Conversations.php
Using network science to understand elections: the South African 2014 nationa...Socialphysicist
This presentation describes our research into the roughly one million tweets that we collected in the run-up to the 2014 national elections in South Africa. It uses a mixture of network theory and data science to unpack the main communities and topics of conversation. The paper won the Gold Award for Best Paper at the 2015 SAMRA conference.
This presentation looks at how gamification taps into how our brains work. It focus on the role of reward schedules and uncertainty in creating engagement. It also briefly discusses whether or not the term 'gamification' itself is a fad or not.
NOTE: Apologies for the low image quality of the slides. The only way I was able to upload the deck without producing visual artifacts during the SlideShare conversion process was to upload each slide as an image :(
Beneath the Surface: The Hidden World of Individual Buying DynamicsSocialphysicist
This deck describes how people actually buy brands based on an analysis of several million purchase events over a period of 5 years across three different categories in the United Kingdom.
It was presented at the ESOMAR Congress 2012 conference in Atlanta, USA in September 2012.
I'm particularly proud of the illustrations in the presentation... although the fundamental nature of the research is pretty cool too :)
A deck presented at the MRS 'Maximising the Value of Big Data' conference in London, January 2013.
Presents my view of big data and the potential it gives us for mapping the systems that we deal with on a day-to-day basis. Big data holds the promise of providing us with a meta-view of the systems that we all think we are so familiar with. I think we will find that the woods look nothing like the trees.
This deck briefly outlines the work we did mapping the South African Twittersphere for the 2012 SAMRA conference, including some analyses we did based on the structure of the network. Specifically, we identified people with the potential for influence based on their betweeness centrality and Authority (HITS). In addition, we also used a modularity algorithm to identify 5 clearly distinct communities within the graph. The results are for interest-sake only and should be interpreted within the limitations of the data."
We presented this deck at the ESOMAR Congress 2011 conference in Amsterdam where it was nominated for "Best Methodological Paper".
The meat of this deck is a collection of case studies showing the efficacy of gamification in various BUSINESS contexts. It took us ages to contact and collate these various examples, so hopefully having them all in one place will save you time.
A big thank you very much to the various folks who helped us put this piece of research together!
If you have any questions, comments, requests, or are interested in the original paper that this deck is based on, please feel free to drop us a line :)
This deck is based on a paper we wrote for the SAMRA 2011 conference. It's a short introduction to some of the ideas underlying the concept of "gamification".
It also details the results from a simple experiment we conducted to measure the effectiveness of gamifying an online community. We were restricted by a tight deadline and the existing capabilities of the online platform we partnered with, but the results are still pretty clear (although small base sizes makes it difficult to draw solid conclusions). To follow up these tantalising results, we are writing another paper for ESOMAR Congress that collects more numbers describing the effectivness of gamification.
I had a lot of fun illustrating the deck. Hope you enjoy reading it.
Negative Publicity: How People Process It and How Brands Should Respond to It...Socialphysicist
This deck presents case studies and a review of the cognitive theories behind how people process negative information about a brand, and suggests factors that a brand should consider before responding to a scandal.
PLEASE NOTE:
1. See speaker notes for more info on each slide
2. Drop me an e-mail if you would like a copy (e-mail address on front slide).
3. Link to full paper - it's behind a paywall unfortunately :(
http://www.esomar.org/web/publication/paper.php?id=2171
This presentation outlines how market share forms from a network perspective.
It is based on an oldish paper I wrote for the 2009 Southern African Marketing Research Association (SAMRA) Conference. It subsequently won the WPP Atticus "Research in Practice" award.
Please drop me an e-mail if you have any questions, comments or would like a copy of the deck.
Note that the SlideShare conversion process has corrupted some of the slides (e.g. slides 20, 26)
Branding in the nth Dimension (Systems Theory in Branded Markets)Socialphysicist
The purpose of this presentation was to introduce market researchers to nonlinear systems theory in the context of branded markets by helping them to visualise the systems they work in every day.
NOTE: Read the notes along with each slide to get the maximum out of this deck.
NOTE: SlideShare screwed up some of the formatting on certain slides (word bubbles, font size, squashed images, etc.). Bad SlideShare :(
An introduction to power law distributions, with a focus on branded markets.
Somewhat text-heavy by today's standards, but presentation was created in late 2007.
Introduction to AI for Nonprofits with Tapp NetworkTechSoup
Dive into the world of AI! Experts Jon Hill and Tareq Monaur will guide you through AI's role in enhancing nonprofit websites and basic marketing strategies, making it easy to understand and apply.
Francesca Gottschalk - How can education support child empowerment.pptxEduSkills OECD
Francesca Gottschalk from the OECD’s Centre for Educational Research and Innovation presents at the Ask an Expert Webinar: How can education support child empowerment?
Embracing GenAI - A Strategic ImperativePeter Windle
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies such as Generative AI, Image Generators and Large Language Models have had a dramatic impact on teaching, learning and assessment over the past 18 months. The most immediate threat AI posed was to Academic Integrity with Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) focusing their efforts on combating the use of GenAI in assessment. Guidelines were developed for staff and students, policies put in place too. Innovative educators have forged paths in the use of Generative AI for teaching, learning and assessments leading to pockets of transformation springing up across HEIs, often with little or no top-down guidance, support or direction.
This Gasta posits a strategic approach to integrating AI into HEIs to prepare staff, students and the curriculum for an evolving world and workplace. We will highlight the advantages of working with these technologies beyond the realm of teaching, learning and assessment by considering prompt engineering skills, industry impact, curriculum changes, and the need for staff upskilling. In contrast, not engaging strategically with Generative AI poses risks, including falling behind peers, missed opportunities and failing to ensure our graduates remain employable. The rapid evolution of AI technologies necessitates a proactive and strategic approach if we are to remain relevant.
The Roman Empire A Historical Colossus.pdfkaushalkr1407
The Roman Empire, a vast and enduring power, stands as one of history's most remarkable civilizations, leaving an indelible imprint on the world. It emerged from the Roman Republic, transitioning into an imperial powerhouse under the leadership of Augustus Caesar in 27 BCE. This transformation marked the beginning of an era defined by unprecedented territorial expansion, architectural marvels, and profound cultural influence.
The empire's roots lie in the city of Rome, founded, according to legend, by Romulus in 753 BCE. Over centuries, Rome evolved from a small settlement to a formidable republic, characterized by a complex political system with elected officials and checks on power. However, internal strife, class conflicts, and military ambitions paved the way for the end of the Republic. Julius Caesar’s dictatorship and subsequent assassination in 44 BCE created a power vacuum, leading to a civil war. Octavian, later Augustus, emerged victorious, heralding the Roman Empire’s birth.
Under Augustus, the empire experienced the Pax Romana, a 200-year period of relative peace and stability. Augustus reformed the military, established efficient administrative systems, and initiated grand construction projects. The empire's borders expanded, encompassing territories from Britain to Egypt and from Spain to the Euphrates. Roman legions, renowned for their discipline and engineering prowess, secured and maintained these vast territories, building roads, fortifications, and cities that facilitated control and integration.
The Roman Empire’s society was hierarchical, with a rigid class system. At the top were the patricians, wealthy elites who held significant political power. Below them were the plebeians, free citizens with limited political influence, and the vast numbers of slaves who formed the backbone of the economy. The family unit was central, governed by the paterfamilias, the male head who held absolute authority.
Culturally, the Romans were eclectic, absorbing and adapting elements from the civilizations they encountered, particularly the Greeks. Roman art, literature, and philosophy reflected this synthesis, creating a rich cultural tapestry. Latin, the Roman language, became the lingua franca of the Western world, influencing numerous modern languages.
Roman architecture and engineering achievements were monumental. They perfected the arch, vault, and dome, constructing enduring structures like the Colosseum, Pantheon, and aqueducts. These engineering marvels not only showcased Roman ingenuity but also served practical purposes, from public entertainment to water supply.
June 3, 2024 Anti-Semitism Letter Sent to MIT President Kornbluth and MIT Cor...Levi Shapiro
Letter from the Congress of the United States regarding Anti-Semitism sent June 3rd to MIT President Sally Kornbluth, MIT Corp Chair, Mark Gorenberg
Dear Dr. Kornbluth and Mr. Gorenberg,
The US House of Representatives is deeply concerned by ongoing and pervasive acts of antisemitic
harassment and intimidation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Failing to act decisively to ensure a safe learning environment for all students would be a grave dereliction of your responsibilities as President of MIT and Chair of the MIT Corporation.
This Congress will not stand idly by and allow an environment hostile to Jewish students to persist. The House believes that your institution is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and the inability or
unwillingness to rectify this violation through action requires accountability.
Postsecondary education is a unique opportunity for students to learn and have their ideas and beliefs challenged. However, universities receiving hundreds of millions of federal funds annually have denied
students that opportunity and have been hijacked to become venues for the promotion of terrorism, antisemitic harassment and intimidation, unlawful encampments, and in some cases, assaults and riots.
The House of Representatives will not countenance the use of federal funds to indoctrinate students into hateful, antisemitic, anti-American supporters of terrorism. Investigations into campus antisemitism by the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Ways and Means have been expanded into a Congress-wide probe across all relevant jurisdictions to address this national crisis. The undersigned Committees will conduct oversight into the use of federal funds at MIT and its learning environment under authorities granted to each Committee.
• The Committee on Education and the Workforce has been investigating your institution since December 7, 2023. The Committee has broad jurisdiction over postsecondary education, including its compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, campus safety concerns over disruptions to the learning environment, and the awarding of federal student aid under the Higher Education Act.
• The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating the sources of funding and other support flowing to groups espousing pro-Hamas propaganda and engaged in antisemitic harassment and intimidation of students. The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is the principal oversight committee of the US House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X.
• The Committee on Ways and Means has been investigating several universities since November 15, 2023, when the Committee held a hearing entitled From Ivory Towers to Dark Corners: Investigating the Nexus Between Antisemitism, Tax-Exempt Universities, and Terror Financing. The Committee followed the hearing with letters to those institutions on January 10, 202
Welcome to TechSoup New Member Orientation and Q&A (May 2024).pdfTechSoup
In this webinar you will learn how your organization can access TechSoup's wide variety of product discount and donation programs. From hardware to software, we'll give you a tour of the tools available to help your nonprofit with productivity, collaboration, financial management, donor tracking, security, and more.
How to Make a Field invisible in Odoo 17Celine George
It is possible to hide or invisible some fields in odoo. Commonly using “invisible” attribute in the field definition to invisible the fields. This slide will show how to make a field invisible in odoo 17.
Honest Reviews of Tim Han LMA Course Program.pptxtimhan337
Personal development courses are widely available today, with each one promising life-changing outcomes. Tim Han’s Life Mastery Achievers (LMA) Course has drawn a lot of interest. In addition to offering my frank assessment of Success Insider’s LMA Course, this piece examines the course’s effects via a variety of Tim Han LMA course reviews and Success Insider comments.
The French Revolution, which began in 1789, was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France. It marked the decline of absolute monarchies, the rise of secular and democratic republics, and the eventual rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. This revolutionary period is crucial in understanding the transition from feudalism to modernity in Europe.
For more information, visit-www.vavaclasses.com
1. How Attention Works Kyle.Findlay@tnsglobal.com Senior R&D Executive TNS Global Brand Equity Centre
2. 1 How do we process our environment? 2 3 What is the path that stimuli go through? What are the factors that capture our attention? 4 What about stimuli that we don’t consciously process? Contents
4. Business Life Do people see my sponsorship ads during a rugby game? Why is talking on a mobile phone while driving a bad idea? Why do we notice different things in movies, in the news, what people are wearing, etc. Do people notice my billboard on the side of the road? Do people register the brand logo on a piece of clothing? ...and why do different people remember different elements of the same information? Do people notice my banner ad on a news website? Just how subjective is the human experience?
9. So what is the actual process that stimuli go through?
10. PRE-CONSCIOUS PROCESSINGSemantic e.g. what is this? Emotional e.g. taboo subjects SHORT-TERM MEMORY Awareness at this point FILTERS STAGE 1 STAGE 2 The attention process
11. General capacity: ±4 items (chunks) Visuals 1-5 Digits 5-9 Letters ± 6 Words ± 5 Short-term memory capacity
12. 0860 03 03 03 Chunking allows us to treat multiple features as one object, or “chunk” Chunking
14. Emotionally charged Contrast to surroundings Social cues Cued stimuli Expected rewards Movement Shared features Early encoded features What captures our attention?
15. Selected based on salience (novelty / surprise) Neuroeconomics The importance of surprise
16. PRE-CONSCIOUS PROCESSING We can detect ±8-10 images per second when flashed before us SHORT-TERM MEMORY But retain far fewer due to short-term memory capacity limitations Temporal attention
23. Subliminal (“sub-limen”) External study, not related to Coca-Cola. Researcher misreported results Effect: Works for 100-200ms after exposure Unconscious, imperceptible
24. Process 40 items up to semantic level (meaning) What gets activated? Implicit procedures (context sensitive!) Cognitive procedures Emotional/physiological states Spreading activation of related concepts Motor skills Unconscious, perceptible
25. How long does it last? Several hours Anaesthetized patients Several minutes Advert exposures A day Pictures and dreams Unconscious, perceptible
28. Focus on lion Little excess attention for distractor stimuli Source: Millward Brown Unconscious, perceptible: Lavie’s Load Theory
29. Focus on landscape More excess attention for distractor stimulus Source: Millward Brown Unconscious, perceptible: Lavie’s Load Theory
30. Task difficulty < 2 kinds Perceptual load… …limited capacity to process external stimuli Central limitations… …limited internal capacity for maintaining and manipulating items in working memory and similar functions such as task switching ≠ Load Load Unconscious, perceptible: Lavie’s Load Theory
31. Can you recall being exposed? Yes Contrast effect No Assimilation effect Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXJohlEBKdA Unconscious vs. conscious processing
Capturing a customers’ attention and creating associations in their memories are key concerns for any business or non-profit. The intention of this paper is to give readers some of the hard facts surrounding how attention and memory work, and, by implication, how advertising works. The paper consists of a broad review of some of what science knows about attention and memory. In addition, the author has interspersed the sections with implications for business. The hope is that these implications will prompt the reader to consider the facts presented to them in light of their own business (or any other) context. Obviously, this paper deals with massive subjects that can easily fill many volumes beyond what can be contained in a paper of 30 pages, and so, some over-simplifications may occur. Regardless, whether coming from a business or social background, this paper should give you a better idea of how people process your messages.
Contents:How do we process our environment?What is the path that stimuli go through?What are the factors that capture our attention?What about stimuli that we don’t consciously process?
Most people have an idea of what is meant by the term attention. However, as with most concepts, once we start picking it apart, it reveals itself to be far more complex than originally thought. Before we go down the route of reducing attention to its component parts, let us first try to understand it holistically. Marvin Chun and colleagues [2010] point out that: “We should… abandon the view of attention as a unitary construct or mechanism, and consider attention as a characteristic and property of multiple perceptual and cognitive control mechanisms.” “Attention” refers to information processes that occur across many areas of the brain. It does not only refer to the stimuli that we choose to focus our eyes on. It also refers to the mechanisms that govern, amongst other things, which sounds we tune in to, which odours we discern, which memories we recall and which option we choose when faced with a decision. In an environment that bombards us with millions of pieces of stimuli from moment to moment, attention systems are the filters that help us prioritise specific stimuli, streamline their processing and make good decisions. Attentional mechanisms are vitally important to organisms that have a limited processing capacity such as all animals, including humans. Note that it is important to make the distinction between “attention” and “awareness” as they are not the same thing. Attending to an object does not ensure awareness of the object. Our brains can unconsciously attend to many more things than we become consciously aware of as we will see.
The topics touched on in this presentation have far-reaching implications for all level of society, both in our personal or business lives.
Selection refers to our ability to select between the multiple stimuli competing for our attention at any one time. It has nothing to say about how well a stimulus will be processed; merely which stimuli are elevated above competing stimuli and which are suppressed. Generally speaking, our brain’s goal is to choose the stimulus most immediately relevant or valuable for our survival. When we do not have a particular goal directing our attention, we are more apt to focus on any stimulus that is novel or surprising, and that maximises our chances of survival. While most of us do not run the risk of inadvertently happening on a hungry lion in our modern lives, we are still hardwired to focus on stimuli that promote survival [Posner, 2008]. As social apes, navigating social groups is also a matter of survival and, thus, we are particularly sensitive towards social cues such as facial expressions, eye movements and other forms of body language. Attention does not only apply to the external world around us though. We also need to apply attention to our own thoughts and decision-making processes. Selection is a vital part of any recollection or decision-making process – we need to attend to appropriate memories to recall them and we need to focus on the elements of a task in order to make the right decision. A popular example of selection failure is Simons & Chabris’ [1999] gorilla experiment. This ‘inattentional blindness’ effect perfectly illustrates the power of the selection process in attention. In the above slide, I have used a remake of the Simons and Chabris experiment that uses a moonwalking bear...
Why don’t we see the bear?
Internal and external attentionAs mentioned, attention is a far broader concept than most people realise. It can be split between two main focuses of attention: internal and external. External attentionrelates to the objects and stimuli in the world around us such as people, furniture, buildings and advertisements. Such stimuli are processed through our ‘modalities’, including sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. For example, as you read this sentence, your attention is currently focused externally on the paper in your hand or on your screen. Internal attention refers to the intangible thoughts, associations and memories that we all hold within our heads. Think of an incident in your past involving a family member or friend. Perhaps it was your 10th birthday party when you received a new bicycle, or perhaps it was a time when you hurt yourself and your mother comforted you. The process by which you recalled this memory required attention, that is, the ability to sift through and focus on a specific memory while simultaneously supressing irrelevant memories. It also applies to our ability to select between multiple options or choices in mind and recall relevant information to make a correct decision such as when cooking the perfect meal. There is a heavy interaction between internal and external attention. For example, an external advert for Volkswagen Beetle might trigger a memory from your childhood, or, an internal goal to eat healthily might focus your attention on the salad rather than the cake.
Top-down versus bottom-up processingAnother way of thinking about external and internal attention is in terms of exogenous (external) and endogenous (internal) attention. Exogenous attentionworks in a bottom-up fashion whereby cues in the environment guide attention, making it stimulus-driven attention. Endogenous attention, on the other hand, is top-down, goal-driven attention arising from internal thoughts, memories and tasks. The manner in which our attention is directed (bottom-up or top-down) has implications for the types of stimuli we attend to and remember. Bottom-up processing implies that our attention (and thus our thoughts and memories) are guided by the cues in our environment without much conscious, directed thought on the observer’s behalf. Imagine yourself wandering aimlessly down a bustling street without any particular goal in mind. In this kind of situation you can be said to be ambiently processing the environment. In this mode, we process up to 40 distinct objects/stimuli at any one time [Posner, 2008] or about 10 items per second [Chun, Golomb & Turk-Browne, 2010]. It is in such a state that one might be strolling through Times Square and notice a Coca-Cola billboard. This is not to say that one will actively remember the billboard or be able to recall its contents, but, in such a state, the billboard is likely to activate our other associations with Coca-Cola and perhaps even add to or change them as we will discuss in more detail. Top-down, endogenous processing is very different to bottom-up, exogenous processing. In this situation, our attention is guided by the goals and thoughts inside our head. Here, we have a target or goal in mind and we attend to those items that match our goal. This leads to a far narrower attentional focus. Imagine I task you up-front with counting the number of people wearing red T-shirts in Times Square. Your accuracy rate will be far higher than if I had only asked you to recall the number after having walked through Times Square. However, in order to more accurately count the number of red T-shirts, you would have had to sacrifice the processing detail of all other stimuli (including adverts). This is the trade-off we face as we shift resources from broad, ambient, bottom-up, exogenous processing to narrower, goal-directed, top-down, endogenous processing.The reason why most people miss the bear is because they are counting the number of times the ball is passed (a top-down goal). Their accurate count of passes comes at the expense of other details such as a person in a gorilla suit crossing the screen. If the viewer had been left to their own devices while watching the scene, they would very likely have noticed a gorilla crossing the screen.
So what is the actual process that stimuli go through?
The attention processHow can a billboard, or indeed, any other stimulus, activate and add to a person’s associations and memories if they do not remember seeing the ad or stimulus? It can because of the path that a stimulus takes when being processed.As mentioned, we can process about 40 items at a time. However, this only relates to “semantic processing”. At this level, our brains only process the stimulus up to the point of recognising and categorising it as either worthy of raising to awareness or not. In doing so, semantic processing can leave mental traces that can make an item more “top of mind” by priming the subject when exposed to related concepts [e.g. Greenwald, Draine, & Abrams, 1996; Shapiro, MacInnis & Heckler, 1997].A massive filtering effect exists though as we go from unconscious semantic processing to conscious awareness of the stimulus as it passes into short-term memory. Contrary to popular belief, we only become aware of a far smaller sub-section of the stimuli we actually process, and these are only the stimuli that our brains deem most relevant.The bottleneck between semantic processing and short-term memory exists due to the limited (but still impressive) processing capacities of the human brain. From processing about 40 items unconsciously, only about four chunks [Cowan, 2001] will be raised to our awareness in short-term memory at any one time, although the actual number varies depending on several factors [Miller, 1956; Cowan, 2001; Alvarez & Cavanagh, 2004; Awh, Barton, & Vogel, 2007], including processing modality and complexity of the objects in question.
Short-term memory capacity limits by modality/category:Visuals = 1-5 [Sperling, 1960; Alvarez & Cavanagh, 2004; Yee Eng, Chen & Jiang, 2005]Digits = 5-9 [Miller, 1956]Letters = ± 6 [Hulme, et al, 1995]Words = ± 5 [Hulme, et al, 1995]Short-term memoryAfter a stimulus passes through sensory memory, which would appear analogous to the pre-conscious processing stage (including semantic processing), a reduced set of the most salient inputs enter short-term memory. It is at this point that we become consciously aware of a stimulus. As Kihlstrom [1987] puts it, “[Short-term memory is] the locus of conscious awareness”. Short-term memory allows us to remember simple lists and groups of items for a short period of time, ranging from a few seconds up to a minute, although the duration can be extended through the process of “rehearsal” (i.e. mentally repeating the stored contents to oneself). It is maintained by temporary patterns of neural activation which rehearsal reactivates and keeps alive. It is important to note that short-term and working memory are not the same thing. Short-term memory refers to the passive maintenance or storage of information without the manipulation of the information being stored. Working memory refers to a theoretical mental work space in which manipulations of multiple inputs from various sources, including short-term memory, long-term memory and external stimuli, are performed in order to produce an outcome (e.g. playing a game of Sudoku). Short-term memory’s capacity was famously deduced by Miller in 1956. Miller showed that most people can hold between five to nine (7 ±2) digits in short-term memory at any one time. However, while Miller’s estimate seems to hold for the recollection of digits, newer estimates by Cowan [2001] imply a more general capacity limit of about four chunks. However, even this is a rough estimate that varies dramatically depending on the complexity of the features of the stimuli being processed and the modality of perception.
Defining “chunks”:A chunk is a theoretical collection of several pieces of information relating to the same stimulus or concept. Features might include attributes such as the colour red, or a spherical shape; or, in the case of the complex notion of “justice”, fairness, retribution, morality, law, etc. “Chunking” is a useful strategy that allows our brains to treat a collection of information as if it were a single piece of information, thus freeing up our brains to handle more information at any one time. Cowan [1998] has shown that we are able to store about four chunks at any one time, although this varies depending on the input modality and several other factors. A chunk can contain about three to fours pieces of individual information [Broadbent, 1975].Example: After a single exposure, a cross-country runner could successfully recall 79 digits. He did this by chunking the digits into different running times e.g. 1518 was chunked as a three mile running time [Ericsson, Chase & Faloon, 1980].In business: Chunking is used in advertising, for example, when a brand splits up its phone number into rhyming chunks of about three digits each.
Okay, so what captures people’s attention?
Spatial attention is probably the most relevant type of attention for marketers as it refers to our ability to focus our attention on a specific region of space within our environment. For example, spatial attention allows us to shift our focus from the foreground to a sign in the distance, or to train our ear onto a sound behind us rather than on our left-hand side. A central problem for our brain is how to prioritise the various spatial objects in our environment. This is primarily a visual problem but applies to other modalities as well. Our brains spend a large amount of time working out where to look so as to ensure that we are always capturing the most important information possible. Therefore, it is of interest to understand what captures our attention. A good way to capture attention is to give the observer a cue (such as flash) which they can use to direct their attention to a target in the same position (such as a sign). The next natural question that arises is what types of cues and stimuli best capture our attention? Examples include:Emotionally charged stimuli [Phelps et al., 2006] and semantic (i.e. meaningful) relations such as the threat of violence or loss of belongings [Boynton, 2008]Social cues such as faces [Hershler & Hochstein, 2005] and gaze direction [Driver et al, 1999]Movement, including the onset of movement [Abrams & Christ, 2003], appearance of new objects [Phelps et al., 2006], movement amongst still objects [Franconeri & Simons, 2003], looming stimuli [Franconeri & Simons, 2003] and objects that are likely to collide with the observer [Lin et al., 2008]A distracting stimulus that shares some feature with the current target [Folk et al., 2002] Stimuli that differ from surrounding objects [Duncan & Humphreys, 1989; Itti & Koch, 2000] e.g. high contrast versus background (e.g. brightness, shape, colour) [Boynton, 2008]Stimuli that are cued in some way e.g. in predictable locations, by background context or past experience [Bar et al., 2004, Chun, 2000; Torralba et al., 2006]Expected rewards affect attention by increasing the focus on reward-related items and locations, and inhibiting non-reward items and locations [Libera & Chelazzi, 2006; Serences, 2008]Stimuli that contain specific features that are coded early in our brains’ visual systems such as orientation, direction of motion and colour [Boynton, 2008]
Defining “novelty”:Within the context of the brain, “novelty’ refers to stimuli that surprise our brain by contradicting its predictions of the external world (known as a “prediction error”). The greater the prediction error (i.e. the contradiction between what we expect to see and what we actually see), the greater the surprise, or “novelty”. This mechanism is modulated by neurotransmitters such as dopamine, acetylcholine and norepinephrine [Posner, 2008] which act as a kind of chemical brain currency whose pay-offs are large in the case of surprise and minimal in the absence of surprise [Montague & Berns, 2002]. The field of neuroeconomics concerns itself with understanding how a physiological ‘currency’ such as dopamine is used to direct our thoughts, actions and rewards. These processes occur on very short time scales, in the order of milliseconds. The figure in the slide gives us an experimental illustration of how this process works. These experiments unveil the mechanics behind how our brains orient themselves towards new and novel stimuli, and they also show the power of our expectations at a physiological level. If a prediction error occurs between what we expect to see and what we actually see, we receive a spike of a neuro-modulator such as dopamine. This encourages our brains to orient towards the stimulus associated with the spike. However, pre-existing expectations, cues and priming all play a role in mediating the magnitude of dopamine (and other neuro-modulator) spikes that occur due to a surprise (prediction error).Image description:A and B both show the same three rounds of brain recordings from a group of primates. A is the actual recordings, while B is a qualitative re-drawing of the results. In the experiment, the primates were rewarded with food. Sometimes they were cued to expect the reward (for example, by showing it to them in advance), while sometimes they were given the food when they did not expect to receive it. Observation row 1: We see that if the primate does not expect to receive a reward (R) because it has not been cued to expect one (“No CS”), it receives a dopamine spike right after receiving the reward (visualised by the increase in activity along the top line of A, or the grey bump in B). Observation row 2: If the primate expects to receive the reward (i.e. it has been cued, CS), then the dopamine spike occurs at the time of the cue and not at the time of reward. Observation row 3: If the primate is cued to receive a reward (CS), a dopamine spike occurs right afterwards. However, if the reward does not occur (No R), a subsequent negative dopamine spike occurs, cancelling out the initial positive cue spike.
Temporal attention,as the term implies, has to do with time. Temporal attention allows us to focus on stimuli that appear at different points in time in the same location. While similar to spatial attention in many aspects, temporal attention relies on an independent set of mechanisms to spatial attention [Chun, Golomb & Turk-Browne, 2010].We are able to detect a clearly defined category of objects (e.g. red shoes in a series of green shirts) when flashed before us at a rate of about 8-10 images per second [Potter, 1975] even though our ability to retain and report back on these scenes is more severely limited by our short-term memory capacities. Temporal attention exhibits an interesting phenomenon known as the “attentional blink”. The term refers to the fact that if we are told to look out for two targets (e.g. a pair of red shoes and a pair of blue trousers) amongst a series of objects (e.g. green shirts), our ability to do so will be dramatically reduced if the second target (blue trousers) appears within 0.5 seconds of the first target (red shoes) (see Figure 6 for a visual breakdown). Even though we do not become aware of the second target, it is processed up to a semantic level [Luck et al. 1996, Marois et al. 2004, Shapiro et al. 1997].
Most people can’t see the red shoes and the blue trousers in a single viewing if they are tasked with looking out for both.We can generally only see one or the other as the blue trousers appear within 0.5 secs after the red shoes. This falls with the “attentional blink” time period. During this period, our brain scrambles to change gear to identify the second target. This shifting of mental gears takes roughly 0.5 seconds, during which time we are essentially blind to other stimuli.
“Attentional blink” (perception). Inability to observe second target if < 0.5 seconds after first.“Psychological refractory period” (response/choice selection). There is a delay of 0.5 seconds before we are able to execute the second response when confronted with choice between two responses.“Task switching”.The cost of switching increases as the gap between the new task and the instruction to switch gets shorter. There always remains a residual switching cost, perhaps pointing to the fact that a new task must actually be executed in order to fully implement a switch.
Real world example…
This ad showed numerous scenes of people enjoying a product. The cuts become faster and faster, building to a crescendo.The increasingly fast cuts meant that respondents experienced an increase in NEGATIVE EMOTION towards the end of the advert. This is likely due to our brains’ inability to process the inputs fast enough, in line with processing bottlenecks like the attentional blink.
What about stimuli that we don’t consciously process?
Unconscious processing: subliminal and unattended stimuliProbably the most interesting area for marketers is whether we process all the stimuli in our environment (such as a billboard in the corner of our eye or a logo on a passer-by’s shoe), and what effect they have. Research shows that unconscious stimuli do affect cognition and action [Merickle & Daneman, 1998; Kiefer & Spitzer, 2000]. This section refers to two types of unconscious stimuli: stimuli that we are exposed to but do not perceive (i.e. subliminal stimuli) and stimuli that we perceive but our brains do not attend to (i.e. unattended stimuli).
Defining “subliminal”:The term is derived from the word “limen” which refers to the absolute minimum threshold above which we can detect the weakest possible stimulus for each modality (e.g. sight, sound). Hence, “sub-liminal” refers to stimuli that fall below the minimum threshold for detection by a modality [Kihlstrom, 1987]. Subliminal stimuli. Popular focus has fallen on the effects of “subliminal messaging”, a term which has caused moral panic over fears of mind control, with accusations being levelled against companies such as Coca-Cola for supposedly manipulating film viewers into buying Coca-Cola (even though the studies in question were conducted by independent researchers that were subsequently discredited) and musicians supposedly backmasking messages in their music that can only be heard when playing songs backwards. In both these examples, the effect of subliminal messages was shown to be negligible.Subliminal stimuli are processed up to a semantic level without being consciously perceived, raised to our awareness [Draine & Greenwald, 1998] or leaving a memory trace [Greenwald, Draine & Abrams, 1996]. This semantic activation primes us to respond more quickly and accurately to related concepts and stimuli. However, to observe a subliminal priming effect, the target behaviour must occur within 100-200 milliseconds after the subliminal prime [Kiefer & Spitzer, 2000]. So, while flashing a Coca-Cola logo during a film might prime audiences, it only lasts for 100-200 milliseconds.
Unattended stimuli. Research shows that our brains process stimuli in our environment up to a semantic level (e.g. “this is a chair”, “that item is dangerous”, etc.). Some are then raised to our conscious awareness by entering our short-term memory. While we may process about 40 items at a time in this way [Posner, 2008], this processing is all done without our awareness and the number of items that we actually become aware of is dramatically reduced. Confirmation bias, our tendency to select, process and remember information that is congruent with what we already believe, plays a role in determining whether a stimulus passes through semantic processing into conscious awareness, a necessary step for us to be consciously aware of something. For example, “I believe that the world is going to end in 2012, therefore I consciously attend to the news stories which confirm my belief and ignore the ones that disconfirm it”; or, “as an Apple fan, I am more likely to attend to the positive news about the brand, while ignoring or forgetting the bad news”.
Shapiro, MacInnis & Heckler [1997] showed that branded adverts that received minimal attention still improved the chances of the brand being considered for purchase by a subject during the same session, even if the subjects did not explicitly remember the ads.It has been found that the effects of stimuli perceived unconsciously by anaesthetized patients during surgery can last up to 24 hours [Merickle & Daneman, 1998]; perhaps implying that unconsciously perceived priming effects can last many hoursMerickle & Daneman also point to research by Poetzl who exposed patients to pictures of complex natural scenes for 100ms (long enough to perceive, but not long enough to consciously process all its details) and then asked patients to describe the pictures. The following day, Poetzl asked patients to describe the previous night’s dreams. He found that elements from the pictures found their way into patients’ dreams even though they had not reported them in their descriptions the previous day.
Lavie’s [2005] load theory helps us predict the level of processing an unattended stimulus will receive. Basically, the amount of processing that an unattended stimulus receives is directly related to the burden placed on our perceptions by the attended stimulus (known as “task difficulty”). If task difficulty is low, then excess attention resources will shift towards processing distractor stimuli. If task difficulty is high, distractor stimuli are less likely to be processed [Lavie 1995; Chun, Golomb & Turk-Browne, 2010]. Simply put, you are more likely to process a gorilla crossing your field of view while watching your neighbour gardening than while watching a football game in person. Distractor stimuli are more likely to be processed when there are fewer of them, although, doing so slows down the processing of the target that is being attended to. Increasing the load on an individual’s perceptions by adding more distractors until the load exceeds their attention capacity (i.e. overloading their attention capacity) results in the distractors actually being less-well processed as the individual devotes more resources towards maintaining focus on the task at hand. Consequently distractors end up providing less interference with the target stimuli [Lavie, 1995].
The Nike logo is more likely to be processed as a distractor stimulus when the task difficulty of the target is low (i.e. more likely in a quiet suburban street than in a bustling stadium).We are also more likely to notice the moonwalking bear in this kind of situation.
The coloured dots represent eye-tracking data i.e. where participantsare looking on the above image.Subjects were told to focus on the lion image, which is full of details. As a result, their gaze spent little time on the empty landscape.
This time the participants were told to focus on the landscape. However, this seen has relatively few details. As a result, more participants’ gazes were momentarily captured by the detailed lion scene.This is not necessarily a conscious capture as most participants’ were adamant that they maintain their attention on the landscape scene. Rather, this illustrates how our gaze works. Our eyes are constantly darting around our environment, even if our brain creates a solid image that does not show this darting.
Lavie actually refers to two kinds of task difficulty:“Perceptual load”, which relates to our limited capacity to process external stimuli “Central limitations”, which relates to our limited internal capacity for maintaining and manipulating items in working memory and similar functions such as task switching Interestingly, the effects of perceptual load and central limitations are opposite. Increased perceptual load (e.g. while in a stadium) decreases the processing of individual distractor details, while increased central load (e.g. working on a particularly challenging maths problem) actually increases the processing of distractor details as our executive functions lose control over the ability to focus our attention on the task at hand [e.g. de Fockert et al. 2001].
If subjects are able to recall the stimulus, they are more likely to experience a contrast effect (judgements opposite to the primed stimulus) when subsequently being exposed to similar stimuli. “For example, participants will rate a given weight as heavier if they had recently lifted a series of relatively lightweight objects than if they had not”. A person might consider an only-slightly-chilled Hunter’s Dry Cider as relatively less refreshing after seeing an ad containing an ocean of frozen Hunter’s Dry bottlesIf they cannot recall the prime, an assimilation effect (judgments consistent with the primed category) is more likely to occur. For example, after lifting a heavy weight, lighter weights might be perceived as heavier than they otherwise would. A person might consider Hunter’s Dry as more refreshing than it really is.
Conclusions
Perceptual filters, created by our own biases, beliefs, past experiences and our current intentions and goals, serve to filter out various stimuli from our environment. They play a massive role in what we consciously perceive and remember.Unconscious processing does happen, but it is context sensitive (e.g. I might buy a Coke after seeing an ad for it, but only if I am standing at the store shelf and intend to buy a carbonated soft drink anyway), and……what we actually process unconsciously depends on the task difficult, or load, of the target stimulus.