Effect of High and Low Motivation on Two Aspects of Attention
- 1 October 1964
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Perceptual and Motor Skills
- Vol. 19 (2) , 571-578
- https://doi.org/10.2466/pms.1964.19.2.571
Abstract
Two procedures were carried out to evaluate the effect of motivational intensity and relevance on attention. The experiment was designed to test the hypothesis that intense motivation acts consistently to reduce the number of cues utilized in a learning and/or performance task when these cues are relevant to the completion of a task. The results of the present study point to the existence of two functionally independent processes: (1) a span of attention process, concerned with the extent and breadth of attentional activity directed to stimuli which are relevant to a task; and (2) a scanning process, related to the fixation and recall of specific cue stimuli relevant to a task. It is this latter process which was postulated to be disrupted by high motivation.Keywords
This publication has 8 references indexed in Scilit:
- Conditioning of Attention as a Factor in Perceptual LearningPerceptual and Motor Skills, 1963
- Performance and Reminiscence on a Symbol Substitution Task as a Function of DrivePerceptual and Motor Skills, 1962
- Cue Utilization as a Function of Drive: An Experimental StudyPerceptual and Motor Skills, 1962
- CHANGES IN AUTOKINETIC PERCEPTION AS A FUNCTION OF THE TRANSFER OF CONDITIONING EFFECTS*British Journal of Psychology, 1962
- Attention: A Theoretical NoteThe Journal of General Psychology, 1960
- Development of the perceptual world.Published by American Psychological Association (APA) ,1960
- The effect of emotion on cue utilization and the organization of behavior.Psychological Review, 1959
- Trail Making Test as a screening device for the detection of brain damage.Journal of Consulting Psychology, 1958