Compare Broadbent’s Filter Theory and Modified Filter Theory
Donald Broadbent’s theory claims that every person has a filter device which is used to register information or stimuli and which is located between the storage of short-term memory and the incoming sensory register. Based on Broadbent’s theory, this filter works hand-in-hand with a buffer, and allows one to manage two types of stimuli. One stimuli input passes through the filter while the other input is held in the buffer to be processed later. Basically, the key role of the filter is to prevent the overloading of the short-term memory as it has limited capacity.
In short, this device mainly functions in order for humans to focus their attention on a single information, thing, or stimulus while the others are stored in the short-term memory. On the other hand, the modified filter theory which was proposed by Anne Treisman. According to Treisman’s theory, instead of only one filter, there are several filters or tests, which include one that handles grammar, patterns of syllables and semantic meaning of words.
When the various information and stimuli fail to get through these filters or tests, they become attenuated or weakened so that there would be less interference with the selected information or messages, but these would not be discarded until it passes through the final filter, which overall examines the semantic meaning of the inputs. Generally, the main difference between the two is that Broadbent’s theory used only a single filter which chooses the information that would register while Treisman’s theory used several filters and a final filter which would decipher the overall meaning of the inputted message.
In this regard, it is Treisman’s theory that best accounts for people’s methods of selecting what particular types of information they would focus their attention to because it is very broad compared to Broadbent’s theory, which is limited to only a single filter. The modified filter theory explains how multiple types of stimuli are handled as it goes through the sensory registers while Broadbent’s theory fails to do so because of its several limitations. In addition, Broadbent’s theory also cannot explain how emotionally charged words are registered.
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