Which selective attention factor refers to the fact that we tend to sample the world where we expect to find information?

Which selective attention factor refers to the fact that we tend to sample the world where we expect to find information?

• A. Expectancy
• B. Salience
• C. Effort
• D. Cognition

Answer: (A)

This question tests expectancy in selective attention—the idea that our attention is guided by what we expect to find. When we anticipate where information will appear, we bias our sampling toward those locations or features, effectively filtering the world to confirm our expectations. This top-down bias helps us search efficiently, but it can also cause us to overlook information that doesn’t fit what we predicted. Salience would pull attention based on what stands out in the moment, regardless of what we expect; effort relates to how much cognitive energy we’re willing to invest, and cognition is a broader term for mental processes.

This question tests expectancy in selective attention—the idea that our attention is guided by what we expect to find. When we anticipate where information will appear, we bias our sampling toward those locations or features, effectively filtering the world to confirm our expectations. This top-down bias helps us search efficiently, but it can also cause us to overlook information that doesn’t fit what we predicted. Salience would pull attention based on what stands out in the moment, regardless of what we expect; effort relates to how much cognitive energy we’re willing to invest, and cognition is a broader term for mental processes.