IS SELECTIVE ATTENTION SELECTIVE PERCEPTION ORSELECTIVE RESPONSE - A FURTHER TEST

Ss repeated back 1 of 2 lists of synchronized digits presented dichotically. Ss were also asked to listen for occasional letters in either ear and to stop shadowing at once and tap with a ruler if they detected one of these letters. They detected significantly more letters in the ear whose digits they were shadowing than in the other ear (an estimated 76 compared to 33%) when the target letters were in the same voice as the digits and thus required identification at the verbal level. When the letters were in a different voice from the rest of the message, and could be distinguished by a simpler physical characteristic, Ss detected almost all of them on both ears. Results support the hypothesis that the chief effect of attention in tasks with competing speech messages is to limit perception of the verbal content of secondary messages, rather than to restrict responses or memory. (16 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1969 American Psychological Association.