Attention

Every day we are bombarded with so much of information by way of sensation,

perception besides our learning, memory and emotions. What we choose to pay attention
to shapes our lives; it makes us who we are. Attention is one of the most fascinating and
highly researched areas in psychology.

Attention is the means by which we actively process a limited amount of information

from the enormous amount of information available through our senses, our stored
memories, and our other cognitive processes.

There is agreement that our mental resources are limited and so there are limits to the
amount of information on which we can focus our mental resources at a time. With
attention we can focus our limited resources judiciously, on stimuli we are interested in.
This heightened focus increases the likelihood that we can respond speedily and
accurately to interesting stimuli. It also increases the memory power, and we are more
likely to remember information we attend to.

Attention and consciousness are connected. Consciousness is more directly concerned

with awareness-it includes both the feeling of awareness and the content of awareness,
some of which may be under the focus of attention. That is to say we may not be able to
focus on (or attend to) everything that we are conscious of.

Definitions:
“Attention is the concentration of consciousness upon one object rather than upon
another” (Dunville, 1935)
“Attention can be defined as a process which compels the individual to select some
particular stimulus according to his interest and attitude out of the multiplicity of stimuli
present in the environment” (Sharma, R. N. 1967)
“Attention is the means by which we actively process a limited amount of information
from the enormous amount of information available through our senses, our stored
memories, and our other cognitive processes” (Sternberg, R. J., 2003).

 Attention is a process and not a product.

 At one time, we can focus our attention on one object only.
 Attention is not merely a cognitive function. It is essentially determined by
emotional and motivational factors of interest, attitude and striving.
 Attention acts as a means of focusing limited mental resources on the information
and cognitive processes that are most salient at a given moment.
 Types of Attention (Ross, 1951)

Attention

Non-volitional Volitional

Enforced Spontaneous Implicit Explicit

(by instinct) (by a sentiment) (by an act of will) (by repeated acts of will)

Non-volitional: attention is directed towards a target with out the involvement of the
will. Which means that the person who attends does not make any conscious effort. Eg.
mothers attention to the cry of her child.

Non-volitional attention could be aroused both by our instinct and by our sentiment. A
young persons looking at some sexual content could be because of his or her sexual
instinct. (Enforced). However, when a person spontaneously attends to the voice of
his/her friend, even amidst a din, it is because of his/her friendship sentiment.
(Spontaneous)

Volitional or voluntary attention: a person focuses his attention on something wantonly,

or by the act of his own will or by his conscious effort. So there is a purpose for focusing
attention on some target.

A person takes a goal to score high marks in the examination and so decides to pay
regular attention in the class. (Single act of will- implicit). However, every day he is
tempted to sit in front of the TV during his study time. He needs to take special effort
every day to study his lessons at home. (Repeated acts of will-Explicit).

Determinants of Attention:
A person’s attention is determined by both internal and external factors. Internal factors
are those, which are present within the individual. They can be also called Subjective
factors. External factors are those, which are present in the environment and the target.

Internal External
Interest Intensity Systematic form
Habit Size Movement.
Attitude Change
Mind set Repetition
Mood Novelty
Motive Location