What is meant by this line, "Much of Neisser’s critique of filtering makes semantic rather than functional distinctions"?

Question

I'm reading The Neuropsychology of Attention (2014) by Ronald A. Cohen, published by Springer. In Chapter 3 (Cognitive Psychology of Attention: Foundations), page 30-31, under the subheading Removing the Bottleneck, the book provides a short account of Neisser's attempt to remove role of the attention filters in filter theories and instead, replace it with the concept of "schema". The statement in question, appears in this paragraph: Schema models, as articulated by Neisser, emphasize the role of the perceiver in selecting information in the environment and define attentional focus as a function of schema. Much of Neisser’s critique of filtering makes semantic rather than functional distinctions. Would appreciate any and all help.

Answer 1

The line "Much of Neisser’s critique of filtering makes semantic rather than functional distinctions" reflects a nuanced aspect of Neisser's approach to understanding attention. Neisser challenged the traditional "filter" theories of attention, which suggested that attention acts as a bottleneck, sifting out irrelevant information to allow only selected data to reach conscious awareness. According to these theories, attention functions as a sort of gatekeeper, managing what information gets processed.

Neisser argued that this filtering concept was overly simplistic and did not fully capture the complexities of how attention works. Instead of adhering to the filter model, Neisser proposed the concept of "schemas"—cognitive structures or frameworks that help individuals interpret and process information based on their past experiences and expectations. In Neisser's view, attention is not merely about filtering out irrelevant stimuli but is guided by these schemas, which direct focus and influence what information is noticed and how it is processed.

The statement in question indicates that Neisser’s critique primarily addresses the meanings and definitions of the concepts used in describing attention, rather than altering our understanding of how attention functions in practice. In other words, Neisser's critique is more about redefining or reconsidering the theoretical language and conceptual framework surrounding attention. It deals with semantic distinctions—how concepts like "filtering" and "schema" are understood and articulated—rather than functional distinctions, which would involve changing how attention operates in actual cognitive processes.

This means that while Neisser’s arguments offer a fresh perspective by introducing the schema concept, they primarily focus on shifting the theoretical terminology rather than providing a new practical understanding of the attentional mechanisms. His critique emphasizes rethinking the definitions and meanings within the theory of attention, rather than presenting a fundamentally different view of its functional operations.