The Things You Should Know About Attention

The more we understand the importance of attention in learning, the more we can support learning. Attention refers to being on task or having focus. It is crucial to learning and getting work done. According to one theory, attention functions like a spotlight in the mind. When we focus on one area of our perceptual field, the surrounding areas receive less attention and therefore, less processing.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines attention as: “the act or state of applying the mind to something; … a selective narrowing or focusing of consciousness and receptivity.”

So what do we need to know about attention in learning? I’ve been digging around the attention research. Here are the most valuable key points.

1. Attention is a limited resource.

Attention is a limited cognitive resource that a person can consciously allocate to various tasks. First, people have a limited ability to attend over time. Attention doesn’t remain constant. Fatigue will set in after a sustained effort. Also, because we can only process a limited amount of information simultaneously, we must select where to put our focus. Due to these limitations, attention constrains memory and learning.

2. Selective attention equals focused attention.

When psychologists describe selective attention, they mean focusing our attention on something. This state of mind occurs when a person selects specific inputs to process while avoiding distractions in the environment (unattended stimuli, as they say).

According to brain imagery, learners may process irrelevant stimuli during periods of focused attention, but to a lesser extent. For example, if you read in a coffee shop with just the right amount of low-level noise, you may be bombarded with sensory information. Yet you can use selective attention to focus on reading, even though you may still hear the buzz of a conversation nearby.

3. Two different types of sources can capture attention.

Psychologists speak of bottom-up and top-down influences on attention. Attention captured from bottom-up events happens without effort. It’s automatic. Think of how the piercing cry of a baby, the annoying GIF animation on a web page showing movement, or the sweet aroma of freshly baked bread captures your attention.

Our senses detect these bottom-up stimuli without conscious effort. Perhaps much of the sensory information that captures attention is or was helpful to survival.

On the other hand, top-down events control attention when an individual consciously shifts to focus on something other than attention-grabbing external stimuli. Top-down influences come from an internal source and involve a person’s intentions and goals. See Design for Bottom-up and Top-down Processing for more on this.

4. Top-down selective attention is based on working memory.

Information we hold in working memory influences top-down selective attention. We select the stimuli relevant to what we are trying to accomplish. For example, if you want to find a specific pair of shoes, you hold the features of the object in working memory. If you want to learn how to be more creative, you hold that question in mind as you search through online articles.

5. Susceptibility to distractions is lowest when a task engages our full attention.

Distractions refer to task-irrelevant information. A person uses selective attention to ignore distractions. It is easier to get distracted when a task involves a low-perceptual load, meaning that the task is not all encompassing. Conversely, it is easier to remain on task when the task has a high perceptual load, meaning it is entirely engaging (Lavie, 2005). Perhaps another way to say this is that it is easy to get distracted during repetitive or tedious tasks.

6. Multi-tasking divides attention.

When you simultaneously respond to two or more channels of information simultaneously, you divide your attention.  Divided attention appears to use more mental resources because 1) the tasks may be conflicting, such as listening to one thing and watching another and 2) the brain must coordinate two or more tasks at the same time. Research shows that divided attention reduces performance on a task. (Described in the Eysenck and Keane text, 2013). This will affect how well a person uses attention in learning.

7. The similarity of the tasks the ability to divide attention.

When tasks are similar, it is more difficult to divide attention between them. For example, trying to listen to two audio information streams—such as someone speaking to you while you listen to a podcast—makes it difficult to attend. On the other hand, if one information stream is auditory and the other visual, it is easier to attend the second stream. Other factors that affect well how a person can divide attention include:

• Similarity of response required
• Similarity in the types of cognitive processes used
• Difficulty of the tasks (Coxon, 2012)

In case you were wondering, most research shows that talking to someone while driving—whether on the phone or in person—reduces the ability to react as quickly as when you are not talking. Unlike a mobile conversation, however, a passenger will often stop talking when the driver needs to pay more attention.

8. Split-attention in instructional materials increases cognitive load.

Split attention occurs when multiple sources of information are not well-integrated (Mayer, 2001). An example is a narrated explanation that occurs before an animation. Or instructions that someone must continuously reference but are physically separate from the problem task. This requires learners to hold one set of information in working memory while processing another stream of information. The solution is to integrate multiple sources of information into one coherent piece. See more on the Split Attention Principle in multimedia learning. The solution is to integrate multiple sources of information into one coherent piece. For more on focusing attention in graphics, see Use Visual Cues to Enhance Learning.

9. An abrupt change can capture attention.

You can capture attention via any change in stimulus, which is why novelty works well in learning design. Experienced learning designers often capture attention with something unexpected, innovative, or surprising. See some possibilities below.

10. Sustained attention requires something meaningful, challenging, or memorable.

Sustained attention refers to focusing on an activity for an extended period. Appropriate strategies for sustaining attention involve designing learning experiences that are highly relevant to participants or particularly surprising and novel. In eLearning it could be a moving story of a protagonist who overcomes the odds, a well-executed animation for explaining a complex concept, or a challenging problem to solve.

Think in terms of:

• Arousing curiosity
• Interjecting emotions
• Critical inquiry
• Collaboration and knowledge sharing
• Games
• Fantastical worlds

Attention, memory and learning have a complex relationship. By delving into how attention works, we can design and support learning in more appropriate and innovative ways.

REFERENCES:

1. Coxon, M. Cognitive Psychology. Sage, 2012.
2. Eysenck, M. and Keane, M. Cognitive Psychology, A Student’s Handbook, 6th Edition. Taylor & Francis, 2013.
3. Lavie, N. Distracted and confused?: Selective attention under load. TRENDS in Cognitive Sciences, 9:2, February 2005.
4. Mayer, R. E., Multimedia Learning. Cambridge University Press, 2001.
5. Schmeichel, B. & and Baumeister, R. Effortful Attention Control in Bruya, B. (ed.), Effortless Attention: A New Perspective in the Cognitive Science of Attention and Action. MIT Press, 2010.