Attention Worksheet
Using the text, Cognition:
The Thinking Animal, the University Library, the Internet, and/or other
resources, answer the following questions. Your response to each question should be at
least 150 words in length.
1.
How do you define the concept of attention?
According to the dictionary, attention means taking notice
of something, or regarding someone or something as interesting or important.
However, attention as concept studied by cognitive psychology represents the
way individuals process the information they receive from the environment.
Attention is a cognitive process of concentrating on a specific part of the
environment while ignoring others. It can also be defined as the allocation of
processing resources (Anderson, 2004). Psychologist and philosopher William
James has a very interesting explanation on this concept, as he tells that to
actively pay attention to something, one must withdraw from everything else
(Cherry, 2013). I don’t necessarily agree universally with that, as it is
possible for some people to pay attention to many things ate a time, but that
is not a talent that everybody has. I,
for example, have a very difficult time paying attention to more than one thing
at a time, so his explanation really adapts to my own experiences.
2.
Can attention be consciously allocated to tasks?
Why or why not?
Attention can most definitely be allocated to different
tasks, as it can be both a voluntary and an involuntary process. Although it
may be difficult sometimes, most individuals have the power to choose what they
want to pay attention to. Either a movie, a book, homework or a work project,
most of us have to make a conscious decision to pay attention to a specific
project sometimes. A lot of times that is a very difficult task for some
people. Having to force yourself to pay attention to a book you must read in
order to complete homework while your favorite movie is on is almost
impossible. Because of that, it is important sometimes for individuals to
distance themselves from any forms of distraction when it is imperative they
concentrate all their attention to one task. Some people are capable of paying
attention to multiple tasks at once, but for some that is not possible.
3.
What is the relationship between attention and
cognition?
As it was explained previously, attention is a cognitive
process, and for that reason alone it is safe to say that attention and
cognition are interrelated. But in fact, their connection goes deeper than
that, as both concepts have a significant influence on each other. It is well
known that attention is the ability to focus on specific information, and
cognition refers to the thought processes that allow learning to happen. Attention
is also the ability of shutting down competing sources of information and
focusing on a desired one. Attention problems can deeply affect one’s ability
to learn, since it is necessary for an individual to be able to pay attention
to something in order for that material to be absorbed by the brain, and
consequently, stored and learned. An individual with a short attention span in
unable to focus on something for longer periods of time, which is usually
crucial in the learning process.
References:
Anderson, John R. (2004). Cognitive
psychology and its implications (6th ed.). Worth Publishers. p. 519. ISBN 978-0-7167-0110-1.
Cherry, K. (2013) What is attention? Retrieved from psychology.about.com/od/cognitivepsychology/f/attention.htm
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