Selective attention operates in which stage and prevents overload by filtering information before it enters which store?

• A. Long-term memory
• B. Short-term sensory store
• C. Working memory
• D. Short-term memory

Answer: (B)

Selective attention happens at the sensory memory stage, the short-term sensory store, where incoming information is briefly held. The brain uses this early filter to prevent overload by selecting only what’s relevant to pass on to short-term memory for further processing. Everything else is effectively ignored at this stage, so only the selected information moves forward. Long-term memory isn’t where this initial filtering occurs; it’s where information goes after encoding. Working memory receives information after it has passed the sensory filter, not at the filtering point itself.