Broadbent's filter model proposes which key feature of perceptual processing?

• A. All information is processed equally by STM.
• B. Only attended stimuli enter long-term memory.
• C. All information enters short-term memory, but attention selects the stimuli to be processed.
• D. Information is processed by a parallel distributed system.

Answer: (C)

Broadbent's model describes an early bottleneck in perception. Sensory input first fills a brief store, and a selective filter based on physical characteristics decides which information will be passed on for deeper processing. Only the stimuli that pass through this filter are processed further in short-term memory; unattended information is largely blocked from meaning and higher-level processing. So thinking of information entering a short-term memory and then having attention choose which stimuli to process fits the model, because it captures the idea that processing is limited and guided by an early selection based on physical properties. The other ideas imply processing of all input or processing in parallel across many channels, which Broadbent's theory does not support.