This document discusses cognitive processes and attention. It defines attention as the concentration of consciousness on one object rather than another. There are two types of attention: voluntary and involuntary. Voluntary attention requires conscious effort while involuntary attention occurs without willpower. Some factors that influence attention include the nature, intensity, size, contrast, repetition and movement of a stimulus as well as one's interests, motives, emotions, habits, and aims. The span of attention refers to how much can be attended to at once while the duration of attention is how long one can attend without a break. Distractions that interfere with attention can be external like noise or internal like fatigue. Continuous distractions are easier to adjust to than discontinuous ones.

1. COGNITIVE PROCESS
PRESENTED BY
VIVEKANANDA D S
B.SC(N) M.S(C&P)

2. ATTENTION
•It is the process involving the act of listening, looking at or
concentrating on a topic, object or event for the attainment of
desired ends.
Definition-
Attention is the concentration of consciousness upon one object
rather than upon another. (Dumville–1938)

3. Types of Attention
•Voluntary (volitional)
•Involuntary (non-volitional)
Voluntary Attention
Voluntary attention demands a conscious effort on our part.
For example, solving an assigned problem in Mathematics,
answering a question in an examination needs voluntary
attention.
•It is further subdivided into two categories:

4. •Implicit volitional attention: A single act of will is responsible
for arousing attention.
For example, a teacher assigns practice work to a child and
warns of punishment, if not completed. This can make him
exercise his will power, attend to the assigned task and finish it
properly.
•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 and
strong motives for accomplishment of the task.
For example, the attention paid during examination days to and
preparing for securing good grades.

5. Involuntary Attention
This type of attention is aroused without the play of will. Here, we
attend to an object or an idea without making any conscious
efforts on our part.
For example, we give involuntary attention to loud sounds, bright
lights and strong odors, etc.
•Involuntary or non-volitional attention aroused by the instincts is
called enforced non-volitional attention.
For example, giving attention out of curiosity.

6. •Non-volitional attention aroused by 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.

7. DETERMINANTS (OR) METHODS (OR) FACTORS
(OR) CONDITIONS FAVORABLE FOR CAPTURING
ATTENTION
Certain factors produce and control the condition of attention in a person.
A. External factors or Conditions- the stimuli/situation present in the one’s
environment.
• Nature of the stimulus- All types of stimuli are not able to evoke the
same degree of attention. An attractive stimulus should always be chosen
for capturing maximum attention.
A picture attracts attention more readily than words. Among the pictures,
the pictures of human being (especially beautiful woman or handsome men)
capture more attention than those of animals or objects. It has been found
that in comparison with other sensations, color and sound attract more
attention.

8. •Intensity of the stimulus: In comparison to a weak stimulus, an
intense stimulus attracts more attention of an individual. Our attention
becomes easily directed to a loud sound, a bright light or a strong
smell.
•Size of the stimulus: In general, bigger size objects in the environment
are more likely to catch our attention than a small object. A small size
on a very big background also attracts attention.
•Contrast, change and novelty: Change and variety strike attention
more easily than routine. The use of maps and charts suddenly
attracts the student’s attention, when compared to the routine verbal
talk. We do not notice the ticking on the watch, but it arrests our
attention, as soon as it STOPS.

9. •Location of the stimulus: The location of the stimulus also affects
attention. In the case of visual stimuli, the most effective location is
to be just in front of the eyes. For example, it has been found in
experiments that advertisements given on the front page or on the
upper half of any page attract more attention.
•Repetition of the stimulus: A repeated stimulus attracts our
attention. We may ignore a stimulus at first instance but, when it is
repeated several times, it captures our attention. A mis-spelt word is
more likely to be noticed, if it occurs twice in the same paragraph
than if it occurs only once. But this practice of repetition should be
carefully used. Too much repetition of a stimulus may bring
diminishing returns.

10. •Movement of the stimulus: A moving stimulus catches our attention
more quickly than a stimulus that does not move. Therefore, the
pictures on a television screen or those in a cinema hold our attention
for hours at time.
•Definite form of the object: A sharply defined object attracts our
attention more than a broad indefinite object. A figure attracts more
attention than the background. A very clearly defined object attracts
our attention more than a vaguely indefinite object.
•Isolation of the stimulus: Isolation is an important external
determinant of attention. A student sitting alone in the corner of the
class is seen first (attracts more attention than others).

11. B. Internal Factors or Conditions
A person’s attention to a stimulus depends not only upon the
characteristics of the stimulus or the favorable environmental conditions
but also upon his interest, motives, basic needs and urges, etc.
•Interest : Interest is a very helpful factor in securing attention. We
attend to objects, in which we are interested.
•Motives: The basic drives and urges of the individual are very
important in securing attention. Thirst, hunger, sex, curiosity, fear are
some of the important motives that exercise definite influence upon
attention.

12. •Mental set-up: A person always attends to those objects, towards
which his mind has set. For example, on the day of examination the
slightest thing concerning the examination easily attracts the attention
of the students.
•Past-Experience(training): Learning and previous experience
facilitate attention. If we know by our experience that a particular
person is sincere to us, we pay attention to what ever he advices.
•Emotion: The emotional state, in which a person determines attention.
For example, a person attends only to bad qualities of his enemy.
•Habit : A man develops the habit of attending to necessary and
desirable things and on the other hand also develops habit of not
attending to unnecessary and undesirable things.

13. •Aim: Every man has some immediate and ultimate aims. So, a student
whose aim is to pass the examination will at once attend to the
textbooks or notes.
•Meaning: In comparison to meaningless stimuli, meaningful stimulus
attracts more attention.
•Disposition (natural tendency) and temperament: Both are important
internal factors which attract attention. For example, a man having a
religious disposition and spiritual temperament will attend to religious
matters.
Besides the conditions described above many other factors influence
attention, such as heredity, education, family, school, society, attitude,
mental and physical state etc. which have a wide influence on attention.

14. •Span of Attention
The maximum amount of material that can be attended in one
period of attention is called span of attention. This can be visual
attention or auditory attention.
•Duration of Attention
It refers to, how long one can attend to an object without a break.
The duration of attention depends upon the nature of the material,
the interest of the observer, and other conditions.

15. •Sustained Attention (Act of Fixation of Mind)
Sustained attention refers to a process of paying one’s attention over a
particular activity for a long duration without any serious distraction.
The individual attention always remains on track and the activity
proceeds systematically without any serious distraction.
•Shifting or Fluctuation of 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 and not two or more acts at a time. However, we can quickly
shift attention from one voluntary act to another.

16. ALTERATIONS IN ATTENTION (Distraction)
Alterations in attention, means the changes in the forms, modes and quality
of the attention paid by us towards a stimulus in a particular duration and
given situation.
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)
• Sources of Distraction
They affect the individual according to his own mental set- up and
personality characteristics. The conditions which cause distraction to an
individual may prove helpful in sustaining attention to others.
•External factors/environmental factors
•Internal factors

17. • External Factors
Noise, music, improper lighting, uncomfortable seats, unfavorable
temperature, inadequate ventilation, defective methods of teaching, defective
voice of the teacher, etc.
• Internal Factors
Emotional disturbances, ill health, boredom, lack of motivation, fatigue, etc.
Types of Distraction
1.Continuous Distraction
The distraction is continuous in nature. For example, the sound of radio
played continuously, the noise at the marketplace, etc. Experiments have
shown that adjustment to continuous distraction takes place quickly.

18. 2.Discontinuous Distraction
It is irregular. For example, the hearing of somebody’s voice every
now and then. It interferes with work because of the impossibility of
adjustment.
Some major means of removing distractions are:
•Being active in work
•Disregard for distraction
•Making the distraction a part of the work