Attention can hardly be called a kind of independent cognitive process, because in itself it not only does not reflect anything, but also does not exist as an independent mental phenomenon. And yet in psychology, attention is considered the most important element of cognitive activity. What is this process, what it can be and what are its main functions - all these questions will be discussed in the article.
Term
Attention in psychology is a mental cognitive process that ensures the concentration of consciousness. Attention allows you to focus your mind on certain objects and form an individual attitude towards them.
Objects of attention can be other people, inanimate objects, natural phenomena and other things that can fall into a person's field of vision. It should be noted that only those objects that arouse a person’s interest or their study are due to social necessity fall into this zone. It is also considered in psychology that attention depends on the age of a person, interest inthe subject being studied, purposefulness and regularity of performing special exercises.
Properties and characteristics
Attention in psychology is the concentration of consciousness and its focus on something. It is believed that attention improves other mental processes, such as thinking, memorization, imagination, but it does not exist separately from them. But despite this, it has its own properties and has separate characteristics.
The properties of attention in psychology are:
- Sustainability.
- Concentration.
- Distribution.
- Volume
- Switch.
Each of these properties of attention in psychology are given characteristics. As a result, we will have the following: stability of attention means the duration of concentration on a task or object. Concentration is called increased signal intensity with a limited field of perception. It involves not only keeping attention on something for a long time, but also distracting from other environmental influences.
Concentration manifests itself during concentration and allows you to get the most complete information about the subject of attention. General psychology also considers such a concept as the distribution of attention, that is, the ability of a person to concentrate on several objects at the same time.
Attention span is the maximum number of items a person can concentrate on. Switchability refers to the rate of transition from one activity to another.other.
What does attention do?
Like any other process, attention performs certain functions. In psychology, attention has the following purpose:
- Detects a signal. Simply put, it performs a search and vigilant function.
- Activates the necessary physiological processes.
- Selects information relevant to current needs.
- Provides the focus of mental activity on an object or activity.
- Determines the strength and selectivity of memory, the focus and productivity of mental activity.
- Enhances the perceptual processes by which a person is able to distinguish the details of images.
- Allows a person to keep the necessary information in short-term RAM (this is a prerequisite for moving knowledge to the storage of long-term memory).
- Another function of attention in psychology is to contribute to better adaptation, mutual understanding between people and the resolution of interpersonal conflicts.
- An attentive person will always be a pleasant conversationalist, he will learn faster and achieve more in life.
Forms of attention
The definition of attention in psychology is a cognitive activity directed at an object. And depending on its content, the following forms of attention are distinguished:
- External or sensory-perceptual - it is turned to objects that surround a person.
- Internal or intellectual attention -concentrates on the subjective world of the individual, is a prerequisite for self-knowledge and self-education.
- Motor attention - mainly directed to human movements.
Models
In modern science, there are several models of attention:
- Simple sequential information processing.
- Sequential selection.
- Parallel model (simple). According to Charles Erickson, objects are reflected in different areas of the retina and are included in the cognitive process independently of each other.
- Parallel model with limited bandwidth. This model was proposed by Thomas Townsen. He assured that the time a person spends on processing an item depends on the bandwidth of the processing channels.
- Competitive choice model.
- Connectionist model.
Types of attention in psychology
Like any other human activity, attention is divided into several types:
- Involuntary attention. That is, a person does not consciously choose what to focus on. Usually involuntary attention is caused by an influencing stimulus. Such attention is very difficult to manage, as it is associated with the internal attitudes of a person. Simply put, individuals are only attracted to things that are of interest to them. The object of involuntary attention can be an unexpected noise, a new person, a phenomenon, a moving object, etc. Involuntary attention always occurs naturally and provokeslively emotional response.
- Arbitrary attention. The next type of attention in psychology is called arbitrary. As the name implies, this attention is characterized by a conscious choice of the object of concentration. It begins at the moment when a person has a motivation to study, learn or create something. Perseverance and stability are integral attributes of this process. However, prolonged arbitrary concentration can cause fatigue and severe overwork. Psychologists advise taking breaks during intense mental activity.
- Postvoluntary attention. In psychology, attention of the post-voluntary type is characterized by the absence of tension during the execution of a task. There is a strong motivation and an indomitable desire to achieve your goal. It is worth noting that in such attention, human psychology is turned to internal motivation, and not to external. That is, a person is guided by an individual need for action, and not a social need, and the results of such attention are the most productive.
Development Features
Attention and memory in psychology are not considered static variables, they can be developed and improved. The development of attention is associated with the ability to concentrate on some object or objects for a certain time period, while not being distracted by side affairs.
Only at first glance it may seem that it is easy, in fact, concentration requires, first of all, interest. To improve involuntary attention, you needjust go to a place where there are many interesting objects to focus on.
The development of voluntary attention requires a more serious approach. Here a person needs to show strong-willed effort and purposefulness of actions. It is also necessary to learn how to manage your feelings in order to prevent distraction from an important lesson at the most crucial moment. The most productive of all is post-voluntary attention, since it does not require additional effort.
Workout
In psychology, attention is considered an ability that can be trained and achieved high results. You need to train attention from three sides at once:
- Develop concentration.
- Work with visual attention.
- Develop auditory attention.
Working with concentration
To improve the concentration process, experts recommend choosing an object for observation and trying to focus your attention on it for several minutes. The simpler this subject, the better. For example, you can put a book on the table in front of you and imagine its contents and main characters. But one can think of a book as a piece of paper and cardboard, imagining the horrendous amount of cut trees it took to create it. Well, or just pay attention to the shape and color of the object. It does not matter what exactly the person focuses on, the main thing is that the focus is on a certain subject (in this particular case, a book).
In order for training to bring the best result, you can focus your attention on several subjects at the same time. In this case, not only concentration will be trained, but also the ability to switch attention from one subject to another.
Visual attention exercise
Visual attention is a definition that is absent in psychology. It is not considered separately, but is attributed to sensory types of attention, that is, those associated with the perception of various stimuli. For example, the visual responds to bright images, the auditory to sounds, etc. To improve visual attention, you need to perform exercises that allow you to expand your ability to focus on the subject.
You can, for example, put a certain object in front of you and set yourself the task of looking at it for 3-4 minutes, while remembering as many details as possible. First, a person will form a general idea of \u200b\u200bthe subject, noticing its color, shape and size. But the more he concentrates, the more he will consider small details such as scratches, small details, minor fixtures, other color shades, etc.
Working with auditory attention
To improve this attention, you need to concentrate for about ten minutes on the sound. It's fine if it's a meaningful speech, but a melody, birdsong, etc. will do.
If a person speaks, then when listening, it is worth noting to yourself the speed of the speaker, the degree of emotionality and the usefulness of the information. It's good if the person will listenaudio recordings of stories and fairy tales, and after listening will try to play them.
Attention management
Quite a number of people struggle when they try to increase their level of attention. Some cannot concentrate on details, others find it difficult to perceive the object of study as a whole. Psychologists advise to train with different objects every day. That is, choose for exercise not only what the brain processes best, but also those things that it considers boring, uninteresting and not worthy of attention. 5-10 minutes a day, and after a while you will see noticeable results.
Attention is an important aspect of human life. It is indispensable in the process of learning and work. Even in the ancient world, when there was more than one century before a civilized society, and human life was at the mercy of nature, the most attentive individuals survived. They were the best hunters, died less often from a poisonous plant accidentally ingested, and were the fastest to react to atmospheric changes, looking for shelter. Maybe now the world has changed, it has become less dangerous and more convenient, but there are still many not always pleasant surprises here, so no one has canceled close attention.
