Attention - Short Essay
1. How do you define the concept of attention?
• Attention occurs when a person is mentally focused on someone or something and channels other distractions out. In my opinion, a person pays attention by active listening and intensively observing. For instance, a couple on a date in a crowded restaurant gives one another their attention by keeping eye contact and actively listening to everything one another says. I believe it is imperative to show someone you are giving him or her undivided attention when he or she is speaking to you to show that you respect that person’s thoughts and feelings. Moreover, there are two types of attention which are divided attention and selective attention. Divided attention occurs when a person tries to multi-task by dividing his or her attention among more than one thing. On the other hand, selective attention occurs when a person selects one particular person or thing to focus on by blocking out everything else in one’s surroundings. Most importantly, the concept of attention is to concentrate on someone or something to be able to understand or comprehend any information given.
2. Can attention be consciously allocated to tasks? Why or why not?
• I believe attention can be consciously allocated to tasks because a person is aware of what the tasks are. Therefore, the person knows when to pay attention when his or her tasks become present. We can consciously make a decision to have mental control over the tasks we give full attention to. Many people assign themselves to more than one task at a time which they have no problem focusing their attention on the various tasks. For example, many jobs require their employees to multi-task and actively pay attention while doing those tasks. This can be very effective whether it is at the workplace or at home. Although it is common to pay attention to more than one task, it may be difficult to give each task one hundred percent of a person’s time and awareness to both tasks at the same
• Attention occurs when a person is mentally focused on someone or something and channels other distractions out. In my opinion, a person pays attention by active listening and intensively observing. For instance, a couple on a date in a crowded restaurant gives one another their attention by keeping eye contact and actively listening to everything one another says. I believe it is imperative to show someone you are giving him or her undivided attention when he or she is speaking to you to show that you respect that person’s thoughts and feelings. Moreover, there are two types of attention which are divided attention and selective attention. Divided attention occurs when a person tries to multi-task by dividing his or her attention among more than one thing. On the other hand, selective attention occurs when a person selects one particular person or thing to focus on by blocking out everything else in one’s surroundings. Most importantly, the concept of attention is to concentrate on someone or something to be able to understand or comprehend any information given.
2. Can attention be consciously allocated to tasks? Why or why not?
• I believe attention can be consciously allocated to tasks because a person is aware of what the tasks are. Therefore, the person knows when to pay attention when his or her tasks become present. We can consciously make a decision to have mental control over the tasks we give full attention to. Many people assign themselves to more than one task at a time which they have no problem focusing their attention on the various tasks. For example, many jobs require their employees to multi-task and actively pay attention while doing those tasks. This can be very effective whether it is at the workplace or at home. Although it is common to pay attention to more than one task, it may be difficult to give each task one hundred percent of a person’s time and awareness to both tasks at the same