Early Vs. Late Selection
“Early” theories
- selection takes place before extensive (e.g., semantic) analysis takes place
- contradicted by studies showing semantic effects in unattended ear
“Late” theories
- extensive analysis of stimuli takes place before selection
- raises issue of benefits of selective attention
- shadowing delayed by presentation of a synonym in the other ear; recall biased by semantic interpretation (e.g., bank-river, vs. bank-money)