Graduate Program
School Psychology
Degree Name
Specialist in School Psychology
Semester of Degree Completion
2012
Thesis Director
John Best
Thesis Committee Member
Assege HaileMariam
Thesis Committee Member
John Mace
Abstract
The point at which selection of which stimuli in our environment to attend to is made has plagued researchers for decades. The load theory was developed as a compromise between the early and late selection theories. However, little research has been done on the effects of varied meaningfulness on the load theory of attention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects that varied meaningfulness has on both high and low attentional loads. Sixteen traditionally-aged college students were given a selection task in either high or low attentional load while being presented with distractors in the periphery. Mean reaction times between conditions of distractor and load were analyzed. In line with the hypothesis and the load theory that state that participants will attend to and process distractors presented in low attentional load, significant effects of distractors were seen in low attentional load. However, contrary to the hypothesis, which stated that participants would process a meaningful distractor under high attentional load, effects of a meaningful distractor were not seen in high attentional load, suggesting that participants did not attend to distractors in high load, regardless of their meaning. Results are further discussed, along with implications, limitations, and further research directions.
Recommended Citation
Mason, Hannah, "Effects of varied meaningfulness on the load theory of attention" (2012). Masters Theses. 893.
https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/893
