Qualitative and quantitative characteristics of attention: distribution, concentration, stability, breadth, volume, etc. Involuntary, voluntary and post-voluntary attention. Working dynamic stereotype. Formation of professional attention.
Send your good work in the knowledge base is simple. Use the form below
Students, graduate students, young scientists who use the knowledge base in their studies and work will be very grateful to you.
Similar documents
- What verb do you think can be formed from the noun “attention”? (Listen)
- What do you think is the topic of today's lesson?
- Why should you study this topic?
- What two types does psychology divide abilities into? (General and special)
- What are the components of general abilities that predetermine success in any activity? (sufficient level of intelligence, high performance, developed will)
- What do you think, if a person is smart, then what has nature endowed his brain with, what does intelligence consist of? (developed attention, memory, thinking)
- What kind of ray do you think this is, what can it be called? What does a person direct? (your consciousness)
- Who can define the term “attention”?
- How, in your opinion, does an attentive person differ from an inattentive person, what properties does his attention have?
- Explain why people in these professions need a large amount of attention.
- What other professions place increased demands on attention span? (slide 6)
- What is easier for a student with a long attention span to do? (grasp a large piece of information at once, for example, when copying from the board or from a textbook)
- Explain why people in these professions need sustained attention.
- How, when observing students performing a task, can you determine whose attention is unstable? (he gets distracted, looks around, asks to repeat it again)
- What do you think, which of the remaining three properties of attention (concentration, switching, distribution) should people of the presented professions have? (slide 12)
- Explain why people in these professions need a high concentration of attention.
- What other professions require special focus?
- How can you determine from students' written work who has a high level of concentration and who does not? (the execution is accurate, there are almost no errors or corrections in the work)
- Explain why sellers and educators need a high degree of switching attention.
- What other professions require a quick switch of attention?
- How can one determine from observations a student who has a developed ability to switch attention?
- How does switching attention differ from dividing attention?
- Explain what multiple tasks people in these professions do simultaneously. (slide 18)
- What other professions require a good distribution of attention?
- At what points in the lesson is attention distributed? (for example, when you write and listen to the teacher’s explanation)
- I have developed such properties of attention as ………….
- That’s why it’s easy for me at school…… and difficult……
- My future profession ……… requires the presence of such attention properties as:
General functions of attention. Types of attention. Voluntary and involuntary attention. Properties of attention. Possibility of targeted formation of attention. Using involuntary attention and promoting the development of voluntary attention.
lecture, added 09/12/2007
The main types of attention as a special property of the human psyche, characteristics of its properties. The concept of attention stability. Concentration of attention, its distribution and switchability. Causes of involuntary attention, its types.
course work, added 09/14/2015
The concept and functions of attention, its main types (voluntary, involuntary) and properties (subjectivity, stability, concentration, distribution, volume). Methodology for diagnosing the characteristics of voluntary attention of mentally retarded primary schoolchildren.
course work, added 06/14/2012
Basic types of attention. Characteristics of its properties: stability, concentration, distribution, switchability and volume. Factors contributing to attracting attention. Ideas about the essence of attention in psychology, its models in cognitive psychology.
presentation, added 05/24/2016
Theories and physiological basis of attention. Basic psychological theories of attention. The dominant mechanism as a physiological correlate of attention. Types of involuntary attention. Basic properties of attention. Stability and concentration.
course work, added 06/04/2012
Features of the development of attention and the role of training this process in younger schoolchildren. Physiological bases and properties of attention (volume, concentration, distribution, stability, fluctuation, switchability). Analysis of the development of its higher and lower forms.
course work, added 03/15/2015
A review of psychological research into attention. The concept of attention. Physiological bases of attention. Functions, properties and types of attention. Experimental studies of individual characteristics of attention (productivity and stability).
thesis, added 12/06/2006
The essence of attention, its physiological basis. The concept of attention in psychology. Voluntary and involuntary attention. Types, basic properties, development of concentration in primary schoolchildren. The ability to voluntarily direct and maintain attention.
?28
Attention and its role in human activity
Coursework in psychology
Introduction 3
Chapter 1. Theoretical study of attention and its role
in human activity 5
1.1. Attention concept 5
1.2. The role of attention in human activity 11
Conclusions on the first chapter 20
Chapter 2. Empirical study of the level of attention in students 21
2.1. Organization and research methods 21
2.2. Analysis of research results 22
Conclusions on the second chapter 25
Conclusion 26
References 28
Application
Introduction
A person is bombarded with a wide variety of information from all sides: music, noises, bright advertising posters, messages on radio, television, conversations of neighbors, friends, information from books, newspapers, the Internet, etc. But a person in this sea of information finds exactly what he needs. He especially needs it right now. And a special state of consciousness, called attention, helps him in this.
An increase in the volume of information, the development of diverse forms of mass culture, an increase in the pace of life, and the volume of human contacts lead to an increase in the amount of knowledge necessary for the life of a modern person. To put it figuratively, attention is the door through which the surrounding world enters the human soul. Attention is expressed in the precise execution of related actions. The images obtained through careful perception are more clear and distinct. With attention, thinking processes proceed faster and more correctly.
Attention is always a separation from something and focusing on it. Attention in itself is not a special cognitive process. It is inherent in any cognitive process (perception, thinking, memory) and acts as the ability to organize this process.
The relevance of research. Human consciousness is not able to simultaneously comprehend with sufficient clarity everything that affects it. It highlights what is of interest to him and corresponds to his needs and life plans. Any human activity requires highlighting an object and focusing on it. K.S. Stanislavsky noted: “Attention to an object evokes a natural need to do something with it. Action focuses attention even more on the object. Thus, attention, merging with action and intertwining, creates a strong connection with the object.”
Purpose of the work: to analyze attention and its role in human activity.
Research hypothesis: it is assumed that among students of Tuymazinsky Medical College of group 313, III brigade, the level of attention fatigue is unevenly distributed.
Research objectives:
1. Consider the concept of attention;
2. Describe the role of attention in human activity;
3. Select an adequate methodology for studying attention and formulate a group of subjects;
4. Conduct empirical research;
5. Process research data and analyze the results.
Object of study: attention.
Subject of research: attention and its role in human activity.
Empirical base of the study: Tuymazinsky Medical College, 313 group, III brigade.
Chapter 1. Theoretical research
attention and its role in human activity
1.1. Concept of attention
Attention is the focus of the psyche (consciousness) on certain objects or phenomena that correspond to the needs of the subject, the goals and objectives of his activity; concentration of consciousness on individual aspects of reality that have stable or situational significance for the subject.
One of the most famous psychological theories of attention was proposed by T. Ribot. He believed that attention, regardless of whether it is weakened or enhanced, is always associated with emotions and is caused by them. Ribot saw a particularly close relationship between emotions and voluntary attention. He believed that the intensity and duration of such attention are directly determined by the intensity and duration of the emotional states associated with the object of attention. Involuntary attention also depends entirely on affective states. The state of attention is always accompanied not only by emotional experiences, but also by certain changes in the physical and physiological state of the body. Only on the basis of a detailed and thorough study of such states can one get a clear idea of the mechanisms of attention. It was especially characteristic of T. Ribot to emphasize the importance of physiological correlates of mental processes and states, and this circumstance affected his interpretation of the phenomenon of interest to us. With this in mind, Ribot's concept can be called psychophysiological. As a purely physiological state, attention includes a complex of vascular, respiratory, motor and other voluntary or involuntary reactions. Intellectual attention, in addition, entails increased blood circulation in the organs of the body engaged in thinking. States of concentrated attention are also accompanied by movements of all parts of the body: face, torso, limbs, which, together with the organic reactions themselves, act as a necessary condition for maintaining attention at the proper level. T. Ribot outlined the main role of movements in the act of attention as follows. Movement physiologically supports and enhances this state of consciousness. For the sense organs - vision and hearing - attention means concentration and delay of movements associated with their adjustment and control. The effort we put into focusing and maintaining attention on something always has a physical basis. It corresponds to a feeling of muscle tension, and subsequent distractions are associated, as a rule, with muscle fatigue in the corresponding motor parts of the receptive systems. The motor effect of attention, according to Ribot, is that some sensations, thoughts, and memories receive special intensity and clarity compared to others due to the fact that all motor activity is focused on them. The secret of voluntary attention lies in the ability to control movements. By voluntarily restoring movements associated with something, we thereby draw our attention to it. These are the characteristic features of the motor theory of attention proposed by T. Ribot.
The theory of installation, proposed by D.N. Uznadze, initially concerned a special kind of pre-tuning state, which, under the influence of experience, arises in the body and determines its reactions to subsequent influences. For example, if a person is given two balls of equal volume, but different in weight, then he will then estimate the weight of other identical balls differently. The one that ends up in the hand that previously held the lighter ball will this time seem to be heavier, and vice versa, although the two new balls will actually be identical in all respects. They say that a person who discovers such an illusion has formed a certain attitude towards the perception of the weight of objects. The attitude, according to D.N. Uznadze, is directly related to attention. Internally, it expresses the state of a person’s attention. This explains, in particular, why, in conditions of impulsive behavior associated with a lack of attention, the subject can nevertheless experience very specific mental states, feelings, thoughts, and images. “Based on the attitude that is relevant in each given case, a number of mental contents grow in the subject’s consciousness, which he experiences with a sufficient degree of clarity and distinctness in order to ... be able to navigate the conditions of the situation.”
The concept of objectification is also associated with the concept of attitude in Uznadze’s theory. It is interpreted as the selection, under the influence of an attitude, of a certain image or impression received during the perception of the surrounding reality. This image, or impression, becomes the object of attention (hence the name “objectification”).
An interesting theoretical concept of attention was proposed by P.Ya. Galperin. In his opinion, Attention is one of the moments of orientation-research activity. It is a psychological action aimed at the content of an image, thought, or other phenomenon existing at a given moment in the human psyche,
By its function, attention is the control of this content. Every human action has an orienting, performing and control part. This latter is represented by attention as such. Unlike other activities that produce a specific product, the activity of control, or attention, does not have a separate, special result.
Attention as an independent, concrete act is highlighted only when the action becomes not only mental, but also abbreviated. Not all control should be considered attention. Control only evaluates the action, while attention helps to improve it. In attention, control is carried out using a criterion, measure, sample, which creates the opportunity to compare the results of an action and clarify it. Voluntary attention is systematically carried out attention, i.e. a form of control carried out according to a pre-drawn plan or sample. In order to form a new method of voluntary attention, we must, along with the main activity, offer a person the task of checking its progress and results, developing and implementing an appropriate plan. All known acts of attention that perform the function of controlling both voluntary and involuntary are the result of the formation of new mental actions.
Techner introduces the concept of “waves of attention”, with the help of which three main properties of attention are determined. In his opinion, when there is attention, we can talk about:
1. Degree, strength characteristic of attention (height of the wave of attention). You can spend a lot of energy on something, that is, all attention is immersed in a certain object, for example, perceptual attention, a state of alertness. And sometimes we can talk about a low degree of concentration. That is, we are talking about the degree of concentration, concentration. Here the problem of measuring this power of attention arises. Tetchner wrote that many measurements of the strength of attention have been made, but in many cases the strength of attention has been confused with the degree of voluntary effort, situations of tension in connection with the struggle with distraction by something more interesting (when you have to do something uninteresting). This is the main feature of voluntary attention and in many studies all attention has been considered as secondary. That is, one should not confuse the subjective experience of effort, tension (degree of tension) with the degree of attention to something (other sensations of time, feelings of elation, joy). In this erroneous case, the totality of kinesthetic sensations (muscle tension) is measured and then the threshold of kinesthetic sensations can be measured. Whoever has a higher threshold has worse attention; whoever has a lower threshold means better sensitivity. This is a false move. The highest degrees of attention do not involve any tension. Now the most typical procedure for measuring the strength and degree of attention is the dual-task technique: there is a main activity and a distracting activity. And the more focused a person is on the main task, the stronger the distracting task should be. The complexity of the distracting task increases in the experiment. At some point, there is a switch to a distracting task. Depending on the level of disruption, we can talk about the degree of concentration. Kahneman's theory (theory of mental effort) is built on this.
2. Spatial property associated with limiting the volume of attention content. That is, we are talking about a volume that is limited. This is a volumetric characteristic. Sometimes they talk about the field, the area of attention settings. That is, attention has a certain volume, an area which, in the presence of attention, can be successfully processed. Here there is a problem of limiting this volume, the number of processed units. In modern psychology, what is called the capacity of short-term memory is the same as what Wundt called the capacity of attention. What he called the volume of consciousness, Sperling called the volume of perception. Sperling's technique made it possible to distinguish between the volume of perception and the volume of short-term memory and attention itself. The methodology consisted of full and partial reporting; in the full report, the volume of attention or CP is recorded; in the partial report, we study the volume of consciousness according to Wundt or the volume of perception, which is much larger.
3. Temporary property considering stability-instability, fluctuations of attention, shifts, quanta of attention. That is, as it were, the existence of attention in time. Consideration of this property occurs in conditions of monotony, where there are no signs that could stimulate from the outside. Attention begins to fluctuate when we are immersed in some homogeneous environment of activity. There are no external changes, but all changes that occur are caused by fluctuations in the subject’s attention. Here, fluctuations in perceptual organizations (figure-ground), etc. are possible. James wrote that the main factor determining the conditions for stable attention in a situation where objects themselves no longer bear any signs of change is the active work of the subject with this material, that is, the organization of unchanged material, new tasks, the search for something new in the material. Helmholtz gave an example of the situation of binocular competition in a stereoscope when viewing different images. At first, something lingers in focus, and then begins to involuntarily fluctuate in an individual psychic rhythm. You can focus your attention on one object and thereby make it stable if you start working with this object, if you set a task in relation to this object (for example, count the vertical and not horizontal stripes of this object) and then only it will be perceived. That is, to open more and more new sides in this object, to initiate one’s activity in relation to this object.
4. The fundamental and most studied property of attention, not presented by Techner, is the distribution of attention, that is, the successful completion of several tasks is an indicator of the distribution of attention. The question here is whether this distribution actually exists: there is a point of view that the subjective sensation of distribution of attention does not mean the presence of several focuses of attention, but rather either a quick switch from one to another, or a special organization of the internal work of attention, its hierarchization , where attention is directed to the main action, and the rest are carried out at the control level. But the fact remains a fact (Julius Caesar or a circus performer who simultaneously wrote six different words in different languages).
1.2. The role of attention in human activity
Attention is one of the phenomena of orientation-research activity. It is a psychological action aimed at the content of an image, thought or other phenomenon existing at a given moment in the human psyche. Attention plays a significant role in the regulation of intellectual activity. According to P.Ya. Galperin, “attention nowhere appears as an independent process. And with an internal look “to oneself”, and to external observation, it is revealed as the direction, disposition and concentration of any mental activity on its object, only as a side or property of this activity.”
Attention does not have its own separate and specific product (there is no image of attention); its result is the improvement of any activity to which it is attached. Attention is a psychological state that characterizes the intensity of cognitive activity and is expressed in its concentration on a relatively narrow area (action, object, phenomenon). Attention is the direction and concentration of a person’s consciousness on certain objects or activities while simultaneously distracting from other objects or phenomena.
The main functions of attention are:
1. Activation of necessary and inhibition of currently unnecessary mental and physiological processes.
2. Purposeful, organized selection of incoming information is the main selective function of attention.
3. Retention, preservation of images of a certain subject content until the goal is achieved.
4. Ensuring long-term concentration and activity on the same object.
5. Regulation and control of activities.
Attention is connected with a person’s entire personality, his interests, inclinations, and vocation. Such valuable personality qualities as observation and the ability to notice subtle but significant features in objects and phenomena also depend on the characteristics of attention.
Attention consists in the fact that a certain idea or sensation takes a dominant place in consciousness, displacing others. This greater degree of awareness of a given impression is the main fact or effect of attention, but, as a consequence, some secondary effects arise here, namely:
1. Thanks to its greater cognition, this representation becomes more separate for us, in it we notice more details (analytical effect of attention).
2. It becomes more stable in consciousness and does not disappear so easily (fixing moment).
Attention is a necessary condition for the quality performance of any activity. It performs the function of control and is especially necessary in any learning, when a person is faced with new knowledge, objects, phenomena.
The physiological basis of attention is made up of orienting and exploratory reflexes, which are caused by new stimuli or unexpected changes in the situation. I.P. Pavlov called these reflexes “what is it?” reflexes. He wrote: “Every minute every new stimulus that falls on us causes a corresponding movement on our part in order to become better and more fully aware of this stimulus. We peer into the image that appears, listen to the sounds that arise, intensely inhale the smell that touches us, and, if a new object is near us, we try to touch it and generally strive to embrace or capture any new phenomenon or object... with the appropriate sense organs.”
Thanks to the orienting-exploratory reflex, the impact of a new object on the human nervous system becomes stronger and more diverse. In those parts of the cerebral cortex that are exposed to new stimuli, a fairly strong and stable focus of excitation is created (dominant, according to the definition of A.A. Ukhtomsky, who created the doctrine of a dominant - a focus of excitation with increased stability). The presence of a dominant focus of excitation in the cerebral cortex makes it possible to understand the degree of a person’s concentration on any object or phenomenon, when extraneous stimuli are unable to cause distraction and go unnoticed.
K.D. Ushinsky noted the enormous role of attention in mental activity: “...attention is precisely the door through which everything that enters a person’s soul from the outside world passes.”
Attention in human life and activity performs many different functions. It activates the necessary and inhibits currently unnecessary psychological and physiological processes, promotes the organized and targeted selection of information entering the body in accordance with its current needs, and ensures selective and long-term concentration of mental activity on the same object or type of activity.
For perceptual processes, attention is a kind of amplifier that allows one to distinguish the details of images. For human memory, attention acts as a factor capable of retaining the necessary information in short-term and operative memory, as a prerequisite for transferring memorized material into long-term memory storage. For thinking, attention acts as a mandatory factor in correctly understanding and solving a problem. In the system of interpersonal relations, attention contributes to better mutual understanding, adaptation of people to each other, prevention and timely resolution of interpersonal conflicts. An attentive person is described as a pleasant interlocutor, a tactful and delicate communication partner. An attentive person learns better and more successfully and achieves more in life than someone who is not attentive enough.
Let's consider the main types of attention and their impact on human activity. These are natural and socially conditioned attention, direct and indirect attention, involuntary and voluntary attention, sensory and intellectual attention.
Natural attention is given to a person from his very birth in the form of an innate ability to selectively respond to certain external or internal stimuli that carry elements of information novelty. The main mechanism that ensures the functioning of such attention is called the orienting reflex. It is associated with the activity of the reticular formation and novelty detector neurons.
Socially conditioned attention develops during life as a result of training and upbringing, and is associated with the volitional regulation of behavior, with a selective conscious response to objects.
Direct attention is not controlled by anything other than the object to which it is directed and which corresponds to the actual interests and needs of the person. Indirect attention is regulated using special means, for example gestures, words, pointing signs, objects.
Involuntary attention arises spontaneously; no volitional effort is required for its occurrence. The main function of involuntary attention is to quickly and correctly orient a person in constantly changing environmental conditions, highlighting those objects that can have the greatest life meaning at the moment. The emergence of involuntary attention is influenced by two factors: objective and subjective. The influence of the objective factor lies in the fact that attention is attracted, “attracted” to itself by the objective features of objects and phenomena - their intensity (loud sound, bright color), novelty (solar-powered car in a remote African village), dynamism (moving object against the background motionless), contrast (a very tall person surrounded by children).
Factors that determine involuntary attention:
? Stimulus intensity;
? Stimulus quality;
? Reappearance of the stimulus;
? The suddenness of the appearance of an object;
? Object movement;
? Novelty of the object;
? Correspondence and agreement with the existing content of consciousness.
The subjective factor manifests itself in a person’s selective attitude towards the environment. A special role here is played by: dominant motivation (a person who is thirsty pays attention to everything connected with liquid, and having quenched his thirst, he does not even pay attention to attractive-looking containers with drinks), attitude towards the object of knowledge or activity (a professional with a casual glance at a book The tray primarily draws attention to books related to its specialty).
The sources of voluntary attention are entirely determined by subjective factors. Voluntary attention serves to achieve a previously set and accepted goal. The range of objects of voluntary attention is unlimited, since it is not determined by the characteristics of stimulation, the specifics of the body and the interests of a person. Depending on the nature of these conditions and on the system of activity in which acts of voluntary attention are included, several of its varieties are distinguished:
1. Processes of social intentional attention can occur easily and without interference. Such attention is called properly voluntary in order to distinguish it from the cases of habitual attention discussed earlier. The need for volitional attention lies in the mainstream of the activity being served and arises in a situation of conflict between the selected object or direction of activity and the objects or tendencies of involuntary attention. The feeling of tension is a characteristic experience of the process of attention of this type. Volitional attention can be defined as reluctant if the source of the conflict lies in the motivational sphere. Fighting with oneself is the essence of any processes of volitional attention.
2. The next type of voluntary attention is expectant attention. The volitional nature of expectant attention appears especially prominently in situations of solving so-called “vigilance tasks.”
3. A particularly important option for the development of voluntary attention is the transformation of volitional attention into spontaneous attention. The function of involuntary attention is to create spontaneous attention. If you fail, only fatigue and disgust appear. Spontaneous attention has the character of both voluntary and involuntary attention. What it has in common with voluntary attention is a sense of activity, purposefulness, subordination to the intention to listen to a chosen object or type of activity. The common point with involuntary attention is the lack of effort, automaticity and strong emotional accompaniment.
The main function of voluntary attention is the active regulation of mental processes. Currently, voluntary attention is understood as activity that is aimed at controlling one’s behavior and maintaining sustainable selective activity.
Voluntary (intentional) attention has the following features:
1. Purposefulness - it is determined by the tasks that a person sets for himself in a particular activity.
2. The organized nature of the activity - a person prepares in advance to be attentive to one or another object, consciously directs his attention to this object, and demonstrates the ability to organize the mental processes necessary for this activity.
3. Stability – it lasts for a more or less long time and depends on the tasks or work plan.
Intentional attention is always associated with speech, with the words in which we express our intention.
Reasons for voluntary attention:
1. A person’s interests that motivate him to engage in this type of activity.
2. Awareness of duty and responsibilities that encourage one to perform this type of activity as best as possible.
Voluntary attention occurs when a person is faced with a task, the solution of which requires certain volitional efforts. The arbitrariness of attention develops along with the development of its individual properties.
There is also a third stage in the development of attention, and it consists of a return to involuntary attention. This type of attention is called “post-voluntary”. The concept of post-voluntary attention was introduced into psychology by N.F. Dobrynin. Post-project attention arises on the basis of voluntary attention and consists of focusing on an object due to its value (significance, interest) for the individual and is considered (by K.K. Platonov) the highest form of professional attention. It occurs in the case when the beginning of an activity was accompanied by a high percentage of distraction and required significant volitional efforts from the person. However, the emerging interest in the work being performed captivates the employee and makes volitional control unnecessary. For example, a student begins to write a given essay. He is constantly distracted - either looking for another pen, talking on the phone, etc. Continuing to work on an abstract requires significant effort; you have to “force yourself.” But as the work progresses, the topic of the essay captivates the student so much that he immerses himself in his work, not noticing the time that has passed, and distraction from work causes negative emotions. The purpose of the activity is preserved, but there is no need to make efforts to be attentive, i.e. attention becomes post-voluntary.
Attention occurs in three stages of its development:
? As primary attention, determined by various influences that are able to produce a strong impact on the nervous system;
? As secondary attention, during which the center of consciousness is maintained despite opposition from other experiences;
? And finally, as voluntary primary attention, when this perception or idea wins an undeniable victory over its competitors.
Finally, we can distinguish between sensory and intellectual attention. The first is primarily associated with emotions and the selective work of the senses, and the second is with concentration and direction of thought. In sensory attention, the center of consciousness is some sensory impression, and in intellectual attention, the object of interest is thought. Attention develops gradually and at a certain level of development it becomes a property of the individual, its permanent feature, which is called attentiveness. An attentive person is an observant person, he perceives his surroundings quite fully and accurately, and his studies and work are more successful than those of a person who does not have this personality trait.
A person’s attentiveness is manifested not only in understanding the world and carrying out activities, but also in relationships with other people. Sensitivity, responsiveness, understanding of the moods and experiences of another person, the ability to grasp the slightest nuances of his feelings and desires and the ability to take all this into account in his behavior and communication with him distinguish a person who is attentive to people and indicates a fairly high development of personality. Attention to a person is an external manifestation of internal culture, or intelligence, which is based on respect for another person. Attention has its external expression - the peculiarity of the posture, the turn of the head, the expression and movement of the eyes.
Conclusions on the first chapter
There are various psychological theories of attention. A significant contribution to understanding the nature of attention was made by T. Ribot, who associated attention with the regulation of ideomotor movements carried out during the perception and representation of objects. According to D.N. Uznadze, attitude is directly related to attention. Internally, it expresses the state of a person’s attention. The concept of objectification is also associated with the concept of attitude in Uznadze’s theory. P.Ya. Galperin believed that attention is one of the moments of orientation-research activity. It is a psychological action aimed at the content of an image, thought, or other phenomenon existing at a given moment in the human psyche. Techner introduces the concept of “waves of attention”, with the help of which three main properties of attention are determined.
Attention is a necessary condition for the quality performance of any activity. It performs the function of control and is especially necessary in any learning, when a person is faced with new knowledge, objects, and phenomena.
Involuntary attention is not associated with the participation of the will, but voluntary attention necessarily includes volitional regulation. Voluntary attention, as opposed to involuntary attention, is usually associated with a struggle of motives or impulses. In this case, a person makes a conscious choice of goal and, through an effort of will, suppresses one of the interests, directing all his attention to satisfying the other.
Attention is associated with the direction and selectivity of cognitive processes. Their adjustment directly depends on what at a given moment in time seems most important for the body, for the realization of the interests of the individual. Attention determines the accuracy and detail of perception, the strength and selectivity of memory, the direction and productivity of mental activity - in a word, the quality and results of the functioning of all cognitive activity.
Chapter 2. Empirical research on attention
2.1. Organization and research methods
10 students of Tuymazinsky Medical College, group 313, III brigade, aged 19-22 years, took part in our empirical study. The study was conducted from March 16 to 17, 2009.
The subjects were offered the “Corrective tests” technique. The proposed version of the “proofreading” is a modification of the well-known test by V. N. Amatuni, developed in the psychology laboratory of the Institute. V. M. Bekhtereva. Compared to the original, it contains shorter
etc.................
A person is constantly exposed to a lot of different stimuli. Our consciousness is not able to simultaneously comprehend all these objects with sufficient clarity. Something is in the field of clear consciousness, something is not quite clearly realized, and much is not noticed at all. From the mass of surrounding objects, a person selects those that are of interest to him and correspond to his needs and life plans. Any activity requires highlighting an object and focusing on it. No mental process can proceed purposefully and productively until a person focuses his attention on what he perceives or does.
Attention- a special form of human mental activity, a necessary condition for any activity. This is the direction and concentration of our consciousness (psyche) on certain objects or certain activities while being distracted from everything else. Depending on the nature of the object to which attention is directed, there are external and internal attention. External attention is attention directed at the objects and phenomena around us. Internal attention is attention directed to the inner world of the person himself, his thoughts, feelings, experiences, etc.
Distinguish two types of attention: voluntary and involuntary. Voluntary attention requires volitional efforts to keep a certain object in the field of view for a certain time, to focus your attention on any object. Involuntary attention is not associated with the participation of the will; the object itself provides attention, forcing one to look at itself, listen, etc. For many types of activities, the development of voluntary attention is very important.
Distinguish five basic properties of attention: stability, focus (concentration), volume, switching, distribution.
Attention, which carries out the function of monitoring activity, is inseparable from thinking and perception, and is a prerequisite for any professional activity. Attention that meets the requirements of a particular profession is called professional attention. It is manifested in attention to order in one’s workplace, to the cleanliness of equipment in use, etc. Professional attention develops in the process of vocational training. The main incentive for this development is the general order and strict implementation of all the rules of educational or production activities. Professionally significant properties of attention - the intensity of its concentration, stability, speed of switching, breadth of distribution - appear differently in different types of activities and have different meanings in different professions.
There are professions (assemblers, proofreaders, etc.) that require long-term and sustained attention (and periodic concentration) on one or even several objects throughout the working day.
A large group of professions associated with the control of moving mechanisms (cars, cranes, electric locomotives, etc.) is called driving in labor psychology. For them, such qualities of attention as wide distribution and rapid switching are important, which determine the success of controlling mechanisms under conditions of multifaceted influence of the external world. Agree, it is difficult to imagine an absent-minded car driver or pilot having difficulty concentrating.
In hardly any other profession, the ability to control attention plays such an important role as in aviation. Of all the mistakes made by pilots, most occur due to imperfect attention. Flight requires a person to be able to cover a large number of objects with attention per unit of time, i.e., the ability to switch attention very quickly under the obligatory condition of sufficient intensity and time of focusing attention on each of the objects necessary for accurate perception. Conventionally, this is called attention span.
For some professions, high intensity and a large amount of attention during work are required almost constantly, and motor skills are much less important. In occupational psychology, these professions are classified as so-called observational professions. These are dispatchers, equipment operators, etc.
Most professions do not require increased attention. However, with the development of technology in a number of modern professions (for example, in the professions of a driver and operator), the number of objects requiring maintenance increases so much that one person is not able to cover them with his attention, and then the supervision of some of them is transferred either to other people or special machines.
How to manage your attention? Is it possible to learn to be attentive, to learn the art of concentration?
The development of stability of attention is closely related to the expression of a person’s volitional qualities. In the book Murphy's Law, Arthur Bloch says: “The need for concentrated attention is always accompanied by an irresistible desire to be distracted.” Cultivating volitional attention essentially comes down to cultivating a sense of responsibility and training volitional effort.
Train yourself to do any work carefully, even if it is familiar and easy to you. Remember: by doing work without paying attention, we cultivate inattentiveness. You need to force yourself to be attentive, learn to concentrate your attention, even if you don’t want to, learn to make your attention obedient. For example, you need to train yourself to do first those things that you want to put off “for later”; do uninteresting but necessary work.
The right way to develop attention is to accustom yourself to work in a wide variety of conditions (for example, in a noisy and distracting environment), try not to notice what interferes with your studies, and not react to extraneous stimuli. This “tempers” and trains attention.
To develop attention, you need to train. The essence of training is to methodically perform a specific task for a limited time, without distraction. Practice switching your attention: consciously and meaningfully move your attention from one subject to another. Practice observing several objects at the same time.
Remember, if a person gets used to doing everything carefully, then attention, becoming a constant feature, develops into attentiveness, which, as a personality trait, is of great importance in the general, psychological and professional appearance of a person. Anyone who has this quality is distinguished by observation and the ability to better perceive their surroundings. An attentive person reacts to events faster and often experiences them more deeply, and has a great ability to learn.
Mindfulness is associated with greater development of the properties of attention: its volume, concentration, stability, distribution. Possessing this quality, a person easily concentrates and has well-developed involuntary attention. Even in the absence of interest in work, an attentive person can quickly mobilize voluntary attention and force himself to concentrate on a difficult and uninteresting activity.
Attentiveness– the ability of a person to remain in a state of psychological and visual (auditory) concentration and concentration on any object for a long time. To be attentive means to follow some movements; Developing mindfulness means learning to discern hidden movements in people, nature, art, science, in any aspect of life.
Inattention is characterized by easy distractibility, absent-mindedness with weak voluntary attention, absolute instability of attention, in which a person directs all attention to one specific object without noticing anything else.
Remember, the best way to develop mindfulness is to not allow yourself to do your work carelessly.
Ekaterina PASTUSHKOVA
Andriyashina Marina Viktorovna, educational psychologist of the highest category
Item: Basics of choosing a training profile.
Grade: 9.
Subject: Attention and its features in professional activities.
Planned results:
Personal: stimulate interest in exploring one's own capabilities; reveal the importance of attention for success in educational and professional activities.
Metasubject: promote the development of general educational universal actions (development of analytical skills; conscious and voluntary construction of statements in oral and written forms; structuring of knowledge).
Subject: to form students’ ideas about attention, its properties, the requirements imposed by different types of educational and professional activities on various aspects of attention
Lesson type: lesson of “discovery” of new knowledge
Equipment: slide program, forms of the “Correction Test” technique, stopwatch.
Lesson summary
I. Organizational moment
Good afternoon, girls! Hello young people! We continue to learn about our own capabilities, and specifically our abilities. The topic of today's lesson will be announced by the one who correctly completes the sentence “I am where ...” is (slide 1)
Many were close to the answer. “I am where ... my attention is” Indeed, a student, absorbed in solving a math problem, does not notice anything around him. The gamer is practically in a virtual world.
“Listen” - “I listen” - “I listen.” I seem to be “in it” - in the labyrinths of solving a mathematical problem, in the graphic space of a computer game. Success in it depends on how immersed we are in our activities.
The topic of today's lesson is “The ability to be attentive.”
We will learn what attention is from a scientific point of view, the presence of what properties allow us to consider a person attentive, and determine for each of you the level of development of the components of attention. (slide 2)
(the topic of the lesson is written in a notebook)
II. Updating knowledge to study new educational material
We talked about the fact that people have different abilities (slide 3).
If today we consider attention, then it is necessary to define this concept. Ancient philosophers compared attention to a ray that highlights certain facets of the world: objects, sounds, thoughts of the person himself. Only the object at which the beam is directed is illuminated.
(the definition of the concept of “attention” is corrected, highlighted on slide 4 and written down in a notebook)
(attention properties appear on the slide)
III. Learning new educational material
Knowing the properties of attention helps you understand which features of your attention contribute and which hinder your academic success. You can also determine how much your attention meets the requirements of the profession if you have already made your professional choice. Therefore, along with a theoretical study of the properties of attention, we will do practical work “My Attention”. (slide 5)
We begin the study of attention with such a property as volume (students write down the definition in their notebooks). Just as the adjustable focus of a flashlight beam can illuminate many objects, or can be narrowed to highlight only part of the object, so the attention span of different people can vary.
We each determine our own attention span. A picture will flash in front of you for 2 seconds, showing geometric shapes and numbers. After it disappears, immediately draw below your table in your notebook what you noticed on the slide. Work quickly and don't get distracted. Volume is the instantaneous grasping of information by attention. (slide 7)
(figures with numbers appear and close again on the screen)
Scoring of results: for each correctly reproduced figure or number, 1 point is counted. The numbers and shapes must be in the same order. Maximum 4 points for numbers, the same for figures. (slide 8)
The “level” column indicates the amount of attention span based on the test results.
The next important property of attention is its stability (students write down the definition in their notebooks). It is especially needed in conditions of monotonous and monotonous work, when complex but similar actions are performed for a long time. (slide 9)
We check the stability of our attention. A figure can be perceived as convex or concave. Your task is to keep the perception of the figure in one position. Each time its “position” changes, bend your finger without taking your eyes off the drawing. We start and finish on my signal. (slide 10)
(task completion time 30 sec)
In the “result” column, students note how many times they bent their fingers, which meant changing the position of the figure. (slide 11)
The “level” column indicates the level of attention stability based on the test results.
Concentration is one of the most important properties of attention. (Students write down the definition in their notebooks). Concentration of attention can be compared to the brightness of a flashlight beam, highlighting all the smallest details of what is perceived. On the one hand, it is necessary for a more complete and in-depth study of a particular object, and on the other hand, excessive concentration of attention leads to a sharp narrowing of the field of attention, which creates difficulties in the perception of other important objects.
We do a concentration task. (standard instructions for the “Proofreading Test” test are given with illustrations in the presentation) (slide 13)
(task completion time 2 minutes)
If a high concentration of attention makes it possible to complete the work without errors, check your task by re-looking at the rows of letters and circling the mistakes made. All corrections, omission of a required letter, crossing out (underlining) of an unnecessary letter, crossing out instead of underlining (and vice versa) are considered errors. (slide 14)
In the “result” column, students mark the number of mistakes made.
The “level” column indicates the level of concentration based on the test results.
The next property of attention is switching (students write down the definition in their notebooks). The level of development of attention switching characterizes the speed of transferring the focus of attention to another object and the ease of inclusion in a new activity (slide 15)
(quickly starts doing work and easily switches to another task)
To determine how developed your attention switching is, count the number of signs viewed (slide 16)
In the “result” column, students mark the number of signs they viewed.
The “level” column indicates the level of attention switching based on the test results. (Slide 17)
The last property of attention is distribution (students write down the definition in their notebooks). For example, Julius Caesar had an excellent level of attention distribution, who, according to the recollections of his contemporaries, could simultaneously give orders to officers, write “Notes on the Gallic War,” and even listen to intelligence reports.
You will find out how well you can distribute your attention by completing the following task. At my signal, you begin to whisper (but always out loud) the numbers from 1 to 20. At the same time, write the same numbers in your notebook, but in reverse order. This is done like this: say 1 while writing 20, say 2 while writing 19, etc. We all start at the same time on my signal. Every 5 seconds I will call out the time counted from the start of the task. After completing the task, you need to remember the called time, that is, in how many seconds you completed the task. (slide 19)
(a start is given and every five seconds the amount of time passed is pronounced in a low voice)
In the “result” column, students note the amount of time spent on completing the task. (slide 20)
The “level” column indicates the level of attention distribution based on the test results.
Reinforcing educational material
We analyze the data received, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of our attention. (slide 21)
- ………., because …….
- ………., because …….
(explain through the content of the work)
Conclusion: ……
We comprehend the requirements of our future profession (or our favorite activity) to the properties of attention. We draw a conclusion by predicting the likelihood of success in education or professional activity in the future and the necessary conditions for this. (forms are inserted into notebooks, which are handed over to the teacher for checking)
Homework assignment
We got acquainted with the properties of attention and diagnosed the development of these properties. Some are happy with their results, others not so much. Is it possible to improve attention? It is possible and necessary.
Homework.
Write down several methods or exercises to develop attention in a notebook. Having chosen the most necessary or interesting one for yourself, explain how and at what time you could use it.
The direction of mental cognitive processes ensures the identification of essential features in the objects being studied and the best control over them in the course of any activity. This directed activity of cognitive processes and human consciousness is called attention.
Attention is a mental phenomenon consisting of the concentration of consciousness and individual mental processes on a specific object with simultaneous distraction from extraneous stimuli.
Thanks to attention, a person selects the necessary information, ensures the selectivity of various programs of his activity, and maintains proper control over his actions. Initially, attention arises as alertness, a kind of readiness to perceive a particular object, gradually developing into its contemplation and further in-depth study (S.L. Rubinstein).
Attention is manifested in various mental (perception, thinking), motor processes. Without having its own special content, attention accompanies any activity as an integral element of these processes. Characterizing the dynamics (direction, selectivity) of cognitive processes, attention is inseparable from them. On the one hand, it appears as a complex cognitive process, closely related
related to mental processes, especially perception, memory, thinking. On the other hand, attention is a mental state that results in improved performance. Attention is generated by activity and accompanies it. Behind it there are always needs, interests, desires, attitudes, and personality orientation.
In the context of a lawyer’s professional activity, the importance of attention is especially great. Firstly, it directly affects the quality of performance of his functional duties. Secondly, the ability of an investigator, judge, prosecutor to correctly determine the qualitative side of the attention of participants in criminal and civil proceedings helps to more objectively evaluate their testimony.
Factors that determine attention. Factors that ensure the selective nature of cognitive processes and the volume and stability of conscious activity can be combined into two:
main groups.
External factors that determine the focus of attention. These primarily include the intensity and strength of the stimulus. Any strong irritant (sharp sound, bright light, unpleasant smell, etc.) attracts a person’s attention. The contrast of stimuli plays a special role in attracting attention. Therefore, if the subject claims that he did not pay attention to any strong stimulus, then this may indicate that he was either in some unusual psychophysiological state, or simply does not want to tell the truth for some reason.
Another external factor influencing the quality of attention may be the novelty of the stimulus (absolute or relative) or the complete absence of a familiar stimulus.
One of the external factors that positively influences the overall level of attention is the structurally ordered organization of stimuli acting on different analyzers. Therefore, in the process of any activity it is necessary to ensure the most rational forms of organizing the flow of information (A.R. Luria). This recommendation is of particular relevance, for example, for an investigator acting in a situation of conducting a search, inspecting a crime scene, when the ability to organize his attention largely ensures the high-quality performance of his official duties and obtaining the most complete amount of evidentiary information.
Subjective factors that determine the focus of attention. These factors include: the correspondence of external stimuli to a person’s needs, the importance that he attaches to these stimuli. Subjective factors influencing the maintenance of attention also include feelings, emotions that are caused by perceived objects, and a person’s interest in the phenomenon being studied. Strong interest makes the corresponding signals dominant, while inhibiting side stimuli that are not related to the person’s area of interest.
A subject who commits illegal actions is under the intense influence of external and subjective factors, which sometimes prevent him from concentrating and purposefully managing his attention at the scene of the incident, as a result of which he fails to completely destroy or hide traces of his involvement in the crime committed.
The investigator’s assimilation of this obvious truth must mobilize all his intellectual strength, knowledge, and experience to search for traces of a crime in the most seemingly hopeless investigative situation from the point of view of solving a crime. When solving such complex problems, a special role is played by the volitional efforts of the investigator, allowing him to focus his attention on certain objects of the scene of the incident.
The level of attention is largely influenced by: the general state of human health, psychophysiological disorders, fatigue, leading to a decrease in attention span and the appearance of absent-mindedness.
If external factors largely determine the level of involuntary attention, which affects the processes of perception of events by witnesses and victims, then subjective factors, especially will, form the highest form of attention inherent in a person - voluntary attention, which a lawyer must manage.
In the process of activity, the intensity of attention changes and a moment may come when volitional efforts are no longer required to maintain it at the proper level. In such cases, they talk about the most developed, stable, socially conditioned form of attention - post-voluntary attention, directing a person’s cognitive processes in activities that are personally significant for him.
Characteristics of attention. Attention is a complex mental phenomenon, endowed with a number of characteristics that characterize it, among which the following can be distinguished.
Attention span. The scope of attention is determined by the number of isolated elements simultaneously perceived by the subject.
For an adult, the attention span covers approximately 6 elements. If semantic connections are established between these elements, then the amount of attention increases. However, an excessive increase in attention span can negatively affect its intensity and, therefore, negatively affect performance. This feature of attention should be taken into account during the inspection of the crime scene and search. The desire to complete work faster by expanding the scope of attention, as a rule, leads to smaller objects, various kinds of traces, etc. slipping out of sight.
Concentration and distribution of attention. Concentration of attention is expressed in the fact that, if necessary,
Human knowledge, as a rule, is directed to one object or controls one type of activity.
However, concentrating attention on one object leads to a positive result only if the subject is able to timely and consistently switch it to other objects. Therefore, such properties of attention as concentration, distribution, volume are closely related to each other.
Distribution of attention allows you to simultaneously perform several actions and monitor several independent processes. The ability to distribute attention is a professionally important quality of a lawyer, especially an investigator, prosecutor, and judge. In conditions of increasing workload, when the investigator may have a significant number of criminal cases in progress, it is very important that these cases with their deadlines are constantly in the investigator’s sphere of attention and for each of them he can plan and carry out investigative actions in a timely manner, within the established deadlines. legal time limits for investigation.
Sustainability of attention. This quality of attention is determined by the duration of concentration of consciousness on any one object. It is well known that attention is subject to periodic involuntary fluctuations. The periods of such oscillations range on average from 2 to 12 s. They are associated with fatigue and adaptation of the senses. This once again confirms that attention in its physiological basis is unstable.
From the point of view of solving practical problems, we are more interested in fluctuations in attention that occur when a person is engaged in any activity for a long time. It has been noted that under these conditions, involuntary distraction of attention from the object occurs after 15-20 minutes.
The simplest way to maintain sustained attention is through volitional effort. But it acts until the mental capabilities are exhausted, after which a state of fatigue inevitably appears, which can be prevented by short breaks in work, especially if it is monotonous and associated with significant psychophysiological overload.
You can also extend the stability of attention for a certain time if you try to find new signs in a particular object, look at it as if from the outside, from a different angle. Otherwise, our consciousness comes “to a dead end,” and then “the preconditions for easy distraction are created and fluctuations in attention inevitably occur.”
Thus, it is possible to maintain the stability of attention to the subject being studied at the proper level, as if forcing this subject to “develop” before our eyes, so that it is revealed to us by everyone.
times its new content. “Only changing and updating content,” writes S.L. about this process. Rubinstein, - is able to maintain attention"1. This position of psychology underlies the dynamic stage of crime scene inspection developed in criminology.
Switching attention. The stability of attention does not exclude its flexibility and switchability, which underlies the subject’s ability to quickly navigate in a changing environment and restructure in the course of planned work.
A very common technique that allows you to maintain the proper level of attention throughout the working day is a change of actions (types of activity), for example, alternating interrogations with drawing up procedural documents, studying received materials with receiving visitors.
Attentiveness is a professionally important personality trait of a lawyer. Attentiveness is formed during active participation in professional activities, as a result of the lawyer’s development of will, determination, and awareness of the importance of the tasks being solved. Attention underlies such professionally significant personality traits of a lawyer as curiosity, observation, high efficiency and creative activity.
16. What are post-traumatic stress disorders?\
Post-traumatic stress disorder is an emotional illness that occurs as a result of a life-threatening event. People with PTSD should tend to avoid places, people, or other things that remind them of these events. Although the disease was recognized in 1980, it likely causes a variety of injuries to people. This disease often appears in soldiers who have experienced various stressful situations. Post-traumatic stress disorder can occur after a long or short-term traumatic event or a series of problems that are associated with many aspects of emotional and social functioning.
Approximately 7-8% of people have post-traumatic stress disorder.
In fact, any event that is life-threatening or that has a strong impact on an individual's emotional state can cause post-traumatic stress disorder. For example, kidnapping, attack, natural disaster, terrorist attack, violence, fight, robbery, etc. etc.
There are three groups of symptoms that may help make a diagnosis of PTSD: repeated trauma (eg, memory impairment, nightmares about the trauma), emotional responses, and chronic physical symptoms, including difficulty sleeping, concentrating, irritability, anger.
Emotional disturbance in post-traumatic stress disorder can manifest itself as a lack of interest in activities, which can cause anhedonia (lack of joy, pleasure in life), distance from people, and inability to think about the future. At least one or two symptoms must be present for one month and must cause significant impairment or functional decline for a diagnosis of PTSD to be made. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a chronic condition if left untreated for three months or more.
Children may develop memory impairment after a traumatic situation. Adults may experience one or two symptoms in one month that cause significant impairment (or functional decline) for a diagnosis of PTSD to be made. When symptoms are present for longer than one month, a diagnosis of acute severe stress may be made.
Symptoms of PTSD include: problems regulating feelings, which may result in suicidal thoughts, angry outbursts, or passive energetic behavior; tendencies of dissociation or depersonalization; persistent feelings of helplessness, shame or guilt; and a major change in those things that are of great importance to people, such as loss of spiritual faith, a constant feeling of helplessness or despair.
