According to capacity theories of attention, performance limitations in divided attention tasks arise because:

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In approaching the question, we first consider what capacity theories of attention propose about divided attention. These theories posit that there is a finite pool of processing resources or capacity that must be shared among tasks, leading to performance limits when multiple stimuli compete for those resources.
Option 1: 'There is a limit on the amount of neural structure we can activate to process stimuli' This aligns with capacity theories by highlighting a finite, bounded processing resource that constrains simultaneous processing. It reflects the general idea that there is a ceiling on how much neural processing can be mobilized at once, which directly produces performance limits in divided attention scenarios.
Option 2: 'Stimuli in divided attention tasks compete for the same neural structures' While this statement captures a related intuition—that multiple stimuli contend for limited neural resources—it is describing a mechanism that is more specific to the idea of competition for shared resources. It is still compatible with capacity theories, but it frames the concept in terms of competition for identical neural substrates rather than stating the overarching limit on activation capacity itself. This makes it a plausible description within capacity theories, but it is not the primary formulation;
Option 3: 'The semantic analysis system imposes a processing bottleneck on performance' This introduces a particular subsystem—the semantic analysis system—as the bottleneck. Capacity theories do not single out a semantic subsystem as the universal bottleneck; they emphasize overall limited capacity rather than a fixed stage-specific bottleneck. Therefore, this option mischaracterizes the general account by anchoring the limit to a specific cognitive module.
Option 4: 'The sensory analysis system imposes a processing bottleneck on performance' Similar to Option 3, this locates the bottleneck to a particular sensory analysis stage. Capacity theories do not typically identify a fixed sensory stage as the sole bottleneck for divided attention; the core idea is a general finite capacity that applies across processing, not a single sensory stage. Hence this option is not accurately representing the broad claim of capacity theories.
Across the choices, the central misconception in the incorrect options is either attributing the limit to a particular subsystems (semantic or sensory analysis) or rephrasing the same idea as competition for neural substrates without naming the overarching capacity constraint. The most faithful statement to capacity theories is that there is a limit on the total amount of neural processing that can be active at once to handle stimuli, which is what Option 1 expresses.

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According to capacity theories of attention, performance limitations in divided attention tasks arise because:

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