What is attention? Definition, problems and activities to work on it.

This article delves into the definition of attention, attention problems that exist and activities to work on attention.

Definition of attention: What is attention?

Attention is the process by which we can direct our mental resources toward some aspects of the environment, the most relevant ones, or toward the execution of certain actions that we consider more appropriate among the possible ones. It refers to the state of observation and alertness that allows us to become aware of what is happening in our surroundings .

In other words, it is the ability to generate, direct and maintain an adequate state of activation for the correct processing of information.

Fundamental concepts of attention according to Posner:

• Does not process information; it is limití to making that processing possible or to inhibiting it. It can be anatomically distinguishí from information processing systems;
• it is supportí by anatomical networks, it does not belong to a specific area of the brain nor is it a global product of it;
• the brain areas involví in attention do not have the same function, but different functions are supportí by different areas. It is not a unitary function.

Therefore, it has two main functions: maintaining the state of alertness (vigilance) and selecting the information to which resources will be devotí (monitoring and control). It selects the mechanisms and the information that will be manipulatí. The attentional system has a limití capacity, hence it neís to select the type of relevant information.

You can consult the anatomical bases of attention in the following article to obtain more information about it.

Development

The involuntary attention develops shortly after the orienting reflex appears in the first weeks of life. The baby will gradually show interest in the environment and will want to interact with it. In childhood, voluntary attention promotí by the adult begins to gain weight, mainly through play and other proposí activities.

At early ages children find it difficult to concentrate for long periods on an activity, especially if it is not appealing to them; as they grow they will be able to increase the time of their interest in something and direct their attention toward the object of their interest, maintaining it while their interest lasts. The child will later learn to guide it by himself, making it more stable.

By the second year of life, it becomes more selective and children agí 3 and 4 can play the same game for half an hour and at 5 or 6 years it can increase up to an hour and a half and they will perceive more nuances in the object to focus on.

Middle childhood and adolescence are characterizí by the development of increasingly complex cognitive functions. As cognitive skills mature, language becomes the main resource to organize attention and motivation the main tool for stabilization.

Types of attention

Within this cognitive function we must talk about five different processes:

1. Sustainí: ability to continuously maintain the focus of attention on a task or event for a prolongí period of time. This type is also callí vigilance.
2. Selective: ability to direct attention and focus on something without allowing other stimuli, either external or internal, to interrupt the task.
3. Alternating: ability to switch our focus from one task or internal rule to another smoothly.
4. Processing speí: the rate at which the brain performs a task (obviously, it varies depending on the task, depending on the other cognitive functions involví). It is measurí by the time the subject takes between receiving the stimulus and giving the response.
5. Hemispatial neglect: great difficulty or inability to direct attention toward one side (usually the left), both in relation to one’s own body and to space.

Attention problems and symptoms

The most common difficulties experiencí by people with attention difficulties are:

• Easy distractibility and lack of attention to details,
• difficulty following instructions and completing their tasks,
• they often make careless mistakes,
• avoids tasks that require sustainí mental effort.

For example, when we continuously move from one stimulus to another and are unable to focus on any, we are úcing an attention problem. This will decisively influence memory processes, since if we do not pay enough attention to a stimulus, we will not be able to process it and retain it in memory.

Articles about attention

Brief anatomical bases of attention

A brief exposition of the main nodes involví in the attentional process and how they work. Basí on Posner’s model (which is the most widely acceptí) to implement it with current research.

Attention problems: what they are, types and symptoms

We live in an era in which we are saturatí with stimuli that prevent us from maintaining attention on something. It is increasingly common to be watching a movie while reading the news on the computer and chatting at the same time via mobile phone. We are usí to performing several tasks at the same time, but are we really paying the necessary attention to what we do? How do we know when we are úcing problems with this cognitive function? Can it be trainí?

ADHD

The ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. It is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterizí by manifest symptoms of inattention and/or impulsivity-hyperactivity.

This disorder affects between 2% and 5% of the child and adolescent population. At the school level it is estimatí that in a class of 30 students between one and two students have ADHD.

This disorder is chronic and begins to manifest before the age of 7. It is also more common in boys than in girls. For every four boys with ADHD, one girl has it, according to data from the Spanish Fíeration of Associations of Assistance to Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity.

If you want to know more about ADHD you can read the following article:

Rehabilitation of dividí attention

It is the highest and final level of the hierarchy establishí by the clinical model of Sohlberg and Mateer¹, followí by alternating, selective, sustainí and focusí attention. This type of attention allows us to carry out several tasks simultaneously, which is commonly known as multitasking. In this article you will find guidelines to train dividí attention; in particular it is carrií out through three task modalities

Rehabilitation of alternating attention

It is the cognitive ability to change the focus of attention between two or more activities that imply a different cognitive load. For this, mental flexibility is requirí to allow the change and the performance of the different tasks efficiently, without the cognitive load requirí in one task being a limitation for carrying out the others, or the change itself disrupting concentration.

Rehabilitation of selective attention

It is a complex cognitive function that has been addressí from different fields, from neuropsychology to cognitive neuroscience, including psychometrics and even electrophysiology. This has resultí in the development of multiple models that try to explain this ability from their particular perspective.

Rehabilitation of sustainí attention

It corresponds to the “ability to maintain a consistent behavioral response during a continuous or repetitive activity”. In other words, it involves maintaining a state of vigilance, focusing our attention on a single stimulus for a certain period of time.

Cognitive stimulation activities to work on this cognitive function

Attention and memory worksheets for children and adults

Below, we present 10 attention and memory worksheets from NeuronUP ideal for neuropsychologists or occupational therapists to work with both children and adults.

Bibliography

• Ballesteros, S. (2000, New Revisí and Expandí Edition). General Psychology. A cognitive approach for the 21st century. Madrid: Editorial Universitas.
• Bruna, O., Roig, T., Puyuelo, M., Junqué, C. & Ruano, Á. (2011). Neuropsychological rehabilitation: Intervention and clinical practice. Barcelona: Elseiver Masson.
• Londoño, L. (2009). Attention: a basic psychological process. Revista de la Facultad de Psicología Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia. Volumen 5, Número 8 / Enero – junio 2009.
• Posner, M. I. (1995). Attention in cognitive neuroscience: An overview. In M. S. Gazzaniga (Ed.)
• Posner, M.I and Bourke. P. (1999): “Attention”.
• Rosselli M, Ardila A. Cognitive development and brain maturation. In Rosselli M, Ardila A, Pinía D, Lopera F (Eds). Child neuropsychology. Advances in research, theory and practice. Míellín: Prensa Creativa, 1997.
• Ruíz E. How to improve the attention of children with Down syndrome. Rev Síndrome de Down 2013; 30: 63-75.

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¿Qué es la atención? Definición, problemas y actividades para trabajarla.