This document discusses the concepts of attention and observation in nursing. It defines attention as selectively focusing on one aspect of the environment while ignoring others. Observation involves receiving information through the senses or recording data. Attention is important for nurses as it allows them to focus on patients, think critically, and adjust to their surroundings. Types of attention include selective, divided, voluntary, and involuntary. Factors like interest, motivation, and distractions can influence attention. Maintaining attention is crucial for the nursing profession.

1. Dr. sumity Arora

2. Aims & objectives
 Meaning
 Determinants
 Types
 Duration and degree
 alterations

3. Observation
 Observation is either an activity of a living being
(such as a human), consisting of receiving knowledge
of the outside world through the senses, or the
recording of data

4. Importance
 Helps us in correct thinking and reasoning
 Effective adjustment to our social surrounding
 Physical Awareness of the nature and environment
 E.g nurse feel the pulse, read the thermometer, record the
reading in sheet
 Correct observation is required in noticing various
parameters ,choosing medicines

5. Two mental activities
Attention Perception

6. Attention
 Attention is the cognitive process of selectively
concentrating on one aspect of the environment
while ignoring other things.
 Examples include
 listening carefully to what someone is saying while
ignoring other conversations in a room (the cocktail
party effect) or

7. Find the T
R
R
R
R
T
R
R
R
R

8. Find the T
R
R
R
R
T
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R

9. Find the Blue Letter
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L

10. Find the Blue Letter
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L L
L L
L
L L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L L

11. Find the vertical T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T

12. Find the vertical T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T

13. Find the vertical T
R
R
T
T
T
R
R
T
R

14. Find the vertical T
T
T
R
T
T
R
R
R
T T
T
R
R
T
R
R
T
R

15. Find the Blue L
L
L
L
L
L
T
T
T
T
T

16. Find the Blue L
T
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L L
L L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L L
T
T
T
T
T T
T
T
T
T T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T T
L

17. Meaning
 Attention is the focus of consciousness on a particular
object or ideas at a particular time, to the exclusion of
other objects or ideas

18. Nature of attention
 It is the chief characteristic of conscious mind and is
essential for acquiring knowledge.
 It is the process of getting an object or thought clearly
before the mind.
 Selective mental activity

19. Nature of attention
 Attentive process is the motor adjustment which the
individual has to make in the process of attention
 e,.g crane our neck, strain our eyes, lean slightly, keep
our eyes glued in order to listen to lecture attentively

20. Nature of attention
 It is costantly shifting from one object to another. It is
not fixed stater

21.  Difference between attention and concentration
 Concentration is the sustain attention for a specific
peroid

22. Determinants and Factors affecting
Attention
 Internal
 External

23. External
Intensity
• like loud music or lecture with microphone, intense odour
Changes in intensity or quality of the stimulus
Larger size
• Seminars bold letters or words
Contrast and novelty
• in advertisement like Rin
Repetition and movement
• Media
Form of the object

25. Internal
 Within the individual
 Motive
 Drive
 If you want to buy a car.. Your attention would go more on cars
 Interest like in sports.

26. Types
 Selective attention
 The restriction of mental process to one event at a time
 E.g in library , reading book inspite of distraction
 Divided attention
 Attending to 2 or more areas at a particular time.
 Listening to music while studying

27. Types
Voluntary (volitional)
Involuntary (non-volitional)

28. Voluntary (volitional)
 It demands the conscious effort on our part.
 For example, solving an assigned problem in
Mathematics, answering a question in examination
needs voluntary attention.
 It is further sub divided into two categories:
 Implicit volitional attention
 Explicit volitional attention

29. Implicit volitional attention
 A single act of will is responsible for arousing
attention. — For example; a teacher assigns practice
work to a child & warns of punishment if not
completed.
 This can make him exercise his will power, attend to
assigned task & finish it properly.

30. Explicit volitional attention:
 Attention is obtained by repeated acts of will.
 One has to struggle hard for keeping oneself attentive; it
requires a strong will power, keen attention & strong
motives for accomplishment of the task. —
 For example, the attention paid during examination
days for securing good grades.

31. Involuntary (non-volitional)
 This type of attention is aroused without the play of
will or without making a conscious effort on our part.
 For example, we give involuntary attention to loud
sounds, bright lights & strong odors etc
 Involuntary non-volitional attention aroused by the
instincts is called enforced non-volitional attention.
For example, giving attention out of curiosity.

32. Non-volitional attention
 Non-volitional attention aroused by the sentiments is
called spontaneous non-volitional attention. For
example, we give somewhat automatic or spontaneous
attention towards some objects, idea, person around
which our sentiments are formed.

33. USES OF ATTENTION
 It provides strength & ability to continue the task of
cognitive functioning despite the obstacles put by the
distractions like noise & other weather conditions.
 It helps in better organization of the perceptual field
for maximum clarity & understanding of the object or
phenomenon.

34. Uses
 It helps in bringing mental alertness & preparedness.
 It helps in providing deeper concentration by focusing
one’s consciousness upon one object at a time rather
than two.

35. Duration and degree of attention
 Span of attention: The maximum amount of material
that can be attended in one period of attention is
called span to attention. This can be visual attention or
auditory attention.
 Span of visual attention: Experiments have been
carried out to measure the span of visual attention by
making brief exposures to a number of object. The
time of exposure is very short, ranging from 1/100 to
1/5 of a second.

36. Duration and degree of attention
 Span of auditory attention: The number of auditory
impressions perceived at a single instance is slightly
greater. An adult can perceive eight sounds given
rapidly in succession. But when sounds are given in a
rhythm, a much larger number of sounds can be
perceived.

37. Duration of Attention
 It refers to how long one can attend to an object
without a break.
 If we attend to a single, simple object for instance, a
dot, it will remain in the focus of our consciousness for
only a second at the most, then something in the
margin will crowd it out or memory of a past event will
intrude.
 The duration of attention depends upon the nature of
the material, the interest of the observer, & other
conditions.

38. Sustained Attention (Act of Fixation
of mind
 To sustain attention, is to concentrate one’s activity
continuously upon some object or a happening or a
problem.
 The individual attention always remains on tract & the
activity proceeds systematically without any serious
distraction.
 All internal as well as external factors of getting
attention can be helpful in this track.

39. Shifting Attention:
 While paying attention towards an object or an event it
is not possible to hold attention continuously with the
same intensity for a longer duration.
 It is constantly shifting from one object to another,
from one aspect of the situation to another.
 We can perform only one voluntary act at a time & not
two or more acts at a time.
 We can quickly shift attention from one voluntary act
to another.

40. Division of Attention
 Division of attention means to attend to two or more
tasks simultaneously.
 Psychologists say we cannot attend to two things at a
given time, & there is no possibility of division of
attention.
 The reason for paying attention to more than one task
at a given time can be: — In performing two tasks
simultaneously one of the two activities requires no
attention. — Attention rapidly shifts from one task to
the other

41. Distraction/ alteration in attention
 Distraction means any stimulus whose presence
interferes with the process of attention or draws away
attention from the object which we wish to attend. -
(HR Bhatia-1968)

42. SOURCES OF DISTRACTION
 External Factors/Environmental factors: Noise, music,
improper lighting, uncomfortable seats, unfavorable
temperature, inadequate ventilation etc.
 Internal factors: Emotional disturbances, ill health,
boredom, lack of motivation, fatigue etc.

43. INATTENTION
 The absence of attention to a particular stimuli.
 • Its outward signs –
 a. The student is careless about the object which of
primary attention
 b. Movement of students’ eyes are random and not fixed
 c. Seems to be perplexed – does not understand and
receive clear impressions
 d. Seems to be restless and writhing/squirming
movements of the body.

44. INATTENTION
 CAUSES OF INATTENTION
 Lack of interest or need Fatigue
 Presence of distraction
 Lack of Motivation

45. TYPES OF INATTENTION
 Absolute in attention.
 disappearance of complete consciousness.
 Partial in-attention:
 careless attention/ low intensified attention

46. IMPORTANCE OF ATTENTION IN
NURSING PROFESSION
 It helps in bringing mental alertness & preparedness.
 It helps the nurse to concentrate by focusing
consciousness on one object at a time rather than two.
 It helps the nurse for better organization of the
perceptual field for maximum clarity & understanding
of the patient condition.

47.  It provides strength & ability to continue the task of
cognitive functioning despite the obstacles laid by the
distractions.
 The nurse can use psychology of attention for
invoking not only voluntary but also involuntary
attention to her job.