You Are at a Party and Are Listening Intensely to a Friend

question 591

Multiple Choice

You are at a party and are listening intensely to a friend tell the "latest gossip," when another person in the room mentions your name in a conversation in a group to the left of where you are standing. According to research on selective attention, you will most likely

• A)shift your attention to the person who mentioned your name.
• B)not hear your name mentioned since you are intensely listening to your friend's story.
• C)not perceive your name being called since this occurred on your left side, not your right side.
• D)shift your attention every 30 seconds, regardless of whether your name was called or not.

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Definitions:

Picometer

A unit of length in the metric system, equal to one trillionth of a meter, used to measure extremely small distances.

Nucleolus

Specialized structure in the cell nucleus formed from regions of several chromosomes; site of assembly of the ribosomal subunits.

Ribosomal RNA

A type of RNA that, together with proteins, forms the structure of ribosomes, the cellular machinery responsible for protein synthesis in all living organisms.

Synthesize

To combine components or elements to form a coherent entity, often used in scientific and industrial contexts.