Human attention: what it is and how it works

Attention is the ability to concentrate on one specific object in order to perceive or study it. Attention is aimed at helping the individual navigate the world around him as successfully as possible. Moreover, it is designed in such a way that when we consciously concentrate on the desired object, everything else seems to blur and lose their brightness. Thus, the definition of attention is this - it is a general option intended by nature for the most easy and effective cognition of something.

Also, attention is both an independent unit of human mental properties, and at the same time a companion to other processes of brain activity. For example, we are quite capable of listening with attention or inattentively, with the same success speaking, watching, performing any action.

• Kinds
• Properties
• Absent-mindedness
• Why do we need to develop attention?

Kinds

There are two types of human attention: voluntary and involuntary. The involuntary is also called passive, and the voluntary is called active.

Let's look at each type in more detail.

Involuntary attention arises by itself, and does not depend on the will of a person. That is, in order for it to happen, a person does not need to make any effort. This type of attention captures in consciousness those moments that somehow fall into our field of vision, and what we perceive with our senses, without specifically concentrating on it.

But the voluntary type of attention is controlled by the person himself - according to his own will and desire. He can concentrate his attention, for example, on the material that he needs to master for his studies. Or focus on the board where the teacher is explaining a new topic.

A person’s voluntary attention is a conscious general option, while involuntary attention is, accordingly, an unconscious option. This characteristic of attention is necessary in order to work, study, and apply your knowledge and skills in life.

But it should be noted that for quite a long time there have been techniques that can help a person master some material or acquire certain skills through involuntary attention. For example, when a picture or inscription with the necessary information is placed in a person’s field of vision on his desktop, the person involuntarily, that is, without making a conscious effort, remembers it.

Some psychologists also recommend highlighting a third type of attention in this classification - post-voluntary. This type has the characteristics of involuntary, but occurs after voluntary. Let's give an example: a person, having made some effort to “enter” a topic, then goes deeper into it and works almost automatically, involuntarily.

Theories of attention

So, the most popular theories of attention include:

• Theodule Ribot's theory. According to her, attention is closely related to emotions. They are the ones who call him. The state of attention is characterized by changes in the physical and physiological state of the body, for example, increased blood circulation in actively involved organs, motor, respiratory and vascular reactions. The state of concentration is characterized by movement of all parts of the body, which allows you to maintain attention.
• The theory of Peter Galperin. Attention is a psychological action aimed at the content of a thought, image or other phenomenon that is currently in the human mind. Attention performs the function of controlling content and is an independent act, where the action is performed not just in the mind, but also in an abbreviated form. Voluntary attention is carried out systematically. Any type of attention is the result of the formation of new efforts of the mind.
• Donald Broadband's theory. When a person performs two things at the same time, the so-called filter, which passes through itself and recognizes objects of attention, switches from one channel of perception to another. The amount of data taken into account depends on the bandwidth of the channel. The author of the theory was able to justify the filtering process, but he was unable to explain how data that does not attract attention is perceived.
• The theory of Anna Treisman. Broadband's theory is complemented here: the perceptual register and the limited-capacity filter are separated by an attenuating device. This device attenuates the signal and also performs semantic analysis.
• Diana and Anthony Deutsch's theory. Any stimulus is first processed in working memory, and selection is carried out when the information itself is processed. The memory capacity is limited, as a result of which only a fraction of the data remains in it. And this part is already analyzed - the information is assessed as important or not important.

Among other theories, the theories of Daniel Kahneman, William James, Nikolai Lange, Dmitry Uznadze, Lev Vygotsky and others stand out. All of them are interesting in their own way and worthy of study.

Of course, issues related to the topic of attention cannot be considered in one article. Therefore, we advise you to turn to the works of the above-mentioned researchers - then it will become much easier to understand how attention works. So develop your thinking, read more and never stop learning. We wish you success!

We also recommend reading:

• Storytelling
• Development of attention: features and useful tips
• You can't get distracted
• Concentration: exercises
• Attention training
• Cognitive sphere of personality
• How to develop attention
• 6 exercises to develop attention
• Mental processes: types and brief description
• Concentration and attention span
• Intelligence and its development: several recommendations

Key words:1Mnemonics

Properties

It should be noted that these properties are characteristic of both types of human attention. Another name is attention mechanisms; five of them are known today:

1. Sustainability of attention.
   This is the maximum total length of time that an individual is able to devote to one object.
2. Attention span.
   This characteristic of attention has an innate property, it is given to a person genetically, these are its physiological foundations. But with the help of training throughout your life, the level of available volume can be significantly increased.

   The volume of attention can be measured; this is the maximum number of objects or information on which a person can simultaneously concentrate without compromising the clarity of cognition for each of them. The average person is able to perceive 4-5 objects equally vividly, with a maximum of 7-9. Anything over nine is no longer perceived. Therefore, for productive work, many time managers recommend having no more than 7-9 stickers with task reminders in your field of vision at the same time - more of them will make the work ineffective.

3. Distributability.
   This is a certain number of actions that an individual can simultaneously carry out without prejudice to each of these actions.

   The attention structure of the average person is built in such a way that we can perform one or two actions at the same time without compromising their quality. Sometimes - three or four, if these actions are quite simple. For example, talking on the phone, stirring soup on the stove, gnawing on sunflower seeds and stroking the cat with your foot. These are four simultaneous actions that almost anyone can perform. But if these processes that require attention are complicated, then this will become impossible, since the physiological foundations of a person do not allow him to go beyond the provided functions. But they say that Caesar was able to perform 12 actions simultaneously with equal success. I wonder what those actions were.

4. Switchability.
   This definition of attention is responsible for the speed with which a person moves from one action to another. If this option is fast enough, then a person can almost instantly switch from completing a work task to, say, listening to a colleague tell a joke. But as a rule, the average person needs some time to mentally put aside the previous activity and concentrate on the new one.

   Moreover, if one of the actions is brought to automaticity, it will not require any effort to switch. For example, a driver with considerable experience can calmly drive a car - which is a rather difficult task - and at the same time maintain a conversation with his passenger.

5. Concentration.
   Concentration is the ability of attention to concentrate as much as possible on one object while simultaneously distracting from others. The development of attention in ontogenesis “equipped” a person with such a useful property. Some scientists call this property concentration.

Absent-mindedness

It should be borne in mind that no action can proceed effectively, and in some cases, safely, without a sufficient amount of attention. It often happens that you seem to have heard and seen everything, but have not learned or remembered anything. Also, with complete concentration on one thing - one’s thoughts, for example, a person may completely not notice what is happening in front of his nose.

Psychologists have long been studying such a property of attention as absent-mindedness. More precisely, this property is considered a defect. If there is scattered attention, a person cannot concentrate on one thing, he is constantly “carried away” mentally, he is distracted.

Many schoolchildren, especially in the lower grades, suffer from absent-mindedness. Most children, over time, will train their attention processes and will be able to perceive the teacher’s explanations and complete their assignments quite effectively. But some will never be able to overcome this barrier of absent-mindedness. As a rule, children whose attention is distracted have poor academic performance and poor prospects, since any somewhat responsible work requires concentration.

But it should be noted that sometimes absent-mindedness involves attention mechanisms of a completely different type. For example, many genius scientists were famous for their absent-mindedness. Most of them did not notice what they were wearing, what they were eating, where they lived, etc. All they could think about was their research. In this case, people consciously concentrated as much as possible on one thing - and also consciously let go of everything else, so as not to distract from the main thing.

Why do we need to develop attention?

The fact is that the presence of developed attention in a person’s psychological portrait speaks of such useful qualities as:

• Observation. A very useful definition of attention that can be useful to a person in many areas of activity.
• The ability to perceive the world around us as adequately and truthfully as possible.
• Fast reaction. The structure of attention in this case provides for the possibility of developing rapid switching.
• Deeper feelings and emotions. These are the basics of human psycho-emotional health.
• Ability to learn. Well-developed, trained attention can help a person concentrate and successfully perform even uninteresting and tedious work, which can be very useful in life.

Some people have excellent attention, while others have poor attention. But the good news is that psychology has long learned to train a person’s attention. Usually, for this it is recommended to use pictures that are found in many periodicals, especially in children's magazines. After all, attention is, in essence, a muscle that develops.

Attention is... What is human attention and attention in psychology?

What is attention?

Attention is the selective direction of our perception, thanks to the focusing and concentration of which we can purposefully cognize and study both the internal and the surrounding world. The information received by the human brain from the senses shapes a person’s perception of the world around him and himself.

Attention is an evolutionary aspect that developed from alertness, vigilance, readiness for action at the first signal. The ability to concentrate affects survival. We can pay, concentrate and maintain attention by focusing our senses: sight, hearing, smell, touch and/or our thoughts on some object or activity.

Few people know that the human vestibular apparatus is involved in the development of the quality of attention, but this is true. Therefore, by training the vestibular apparatus, together with it we train a sense of balance, position in space, dexterity, and a sense of weight.

Due to this, the quality of attention improves and concentration increases.

Features of attention

Three types of ATTENTION: involuntary, voluntary and post-voluntary

Typically there are three types of attention:

Involuntary attention occurs on its own and does not require human effort. Involuntary attention is primarily characteristic of children, who are not always able to distribute and switch it, manage their concentration and be focused. On the contrary, they can be distracted by any sound, movement or new, bright event that captures the child’s entire attention, leaving him under the power of external impressions.

Voluntary attention is usually formed by the age of 7 years. Voluntary attention is the ability to focus on what is needed at the moment, even if you don’t want it. This requires qualities such as the ability to concentrate, willpower and self-discipline, and perseverance. They can be developed and trained. To develop and increase the stability of a child’s voluntary attention, it is important to teach him to be focused and assiduous.

Post-voluntary attention arises similarly to voluntary attention. Post-voluntary attention is characterized by the fact that a person performs an activity with pleasure, inspiration and without tension.

What are the main properties of attention worth highlighting?

Sustainability of attention

Each individual can concentrate on a certain object for a certain time. It is the duration of this concentration that scientists call sustained attention. It is believed that a person’s consciousness can hold a certain object in its focus for a certain time and examine it to the smallest detail. Some psychologists believe that attentional stability primarily refers to the amount of time a person is willing to look for interesting points in a certain subject. As soon as the details that interest him run out, he stops concentrating on the object. It is important to note that the stability of attention is greatly influenced by a person’s personal characteristics.

Distribution of attention

The ability to efficiently perform several actions or activities, clearly understanding this in one’s self-awareness, is called attention distribution. Almost everyone shares their attention. The student takes notes and listens at the same time, and the office worker takes calls and does accounting at the same moment. This property of a person is very individual, since not everyone can perform several actions efficiently. Although history knows cases when people succeeded in almost unrealistic things - Napoleon could perform 5-7 different actions at the same time, and the famous psychologist Polan distinguished himself by being able to recite a poem and write lines of a new creation on a piece of paper. Scientists note that it is possible to perform several tasks simultaneously only if at least one of them is so familiar to a person that he performs it automatically, almost without thinking.

Switching attention

The ability to quickly move your attention from one object to another is called attention switching. This parameter of attention depends very much on how interesting the previous activity was. If it was really interesting, and the next type of activity is boring for the individual, switching attention is extremely difficult.

Attention span

The number of objects on which a person's attention is concentrated is called attention span. All these objects are in front of our consciousness, and the greater their number, the more opportunities an individual has. According to recent studies, an adult should concentrate attention on 4-7 objects at the same time, and schoolchildren - on 2-5, depending on their intellectual characteristics. A person who can easily concentrate attention on a large number of objects, in any case, has a chance to notice what others do not see. He can notice objects and phenomena, and also quickly analyze them. To determine the amount of attention, a tachistoscope is used, which allows a person to be shown a large number of figures or small letters that need to be remembered for 0.1 seconds.

Concentration of attention

Concentrating attention on an object is an art that everyone possesses to a certain extent. Concentration is a person’s ability to maintain attention on a specific object for an extended period of time. After all, the ability to keep all your attention on an object is concentration, which psychologists have long considered a basic feature of human attention. Many varied activities require high concentration, as a result of which the human body begins to suffer from fatigue. Fatigue is the first sign of too much psychological stress. Therefore, concentration requires a lot of effort from a person, which he may not even be aware of. This fact easily explains why company managers or researchers are sometimes much more tired than construction workers who perform monotonous work.

Selectivity of attention

Scientists have proven that selectivity of attention is the ability to concentrate attention on the most important objects. A person subconsciously filters out unnecessary details around him. It is worth noting that concentration, distribution and selectivity of attention are very clearly related to each other. Moreover, selectivity will be effective only when the concentration of attention can be easily transferred from one object to another. Choosing the golden mean among a large number of objects unnecessary for an individual is the main task of selectivity of attention.

Absent-mindedness

Distraction of attention or so-called distractibility is one of the most negative traits of human consciousness. An individual in the process of contemplation may be distracted by things that are unnecessary to him. For example, a student is listening to a teacher in the classroom, but he can hear the sounds of a conversation from the last desk or light music, the sounds of which have just been heard in the corridor. He is only distracted for a moment, but he has already missed several important phrases from the teacher that he needed to take notes on.

Thus, extraneous stimuli affect a person quite negatively if his level of distractibility is really high. Most of all, distractibility is influenced by low interest in the actions that a person performs. Attentiveness is a very important characteristic of a person, since only individuals who possess it can boast of real productivity. This is especially true for those who are engaged in creative activities or work in the field of exact sciences.

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