Attention unites intellectual and sensory processes of the brain, contributing to the concentration and study of an object or phenomenon. In psychology, the types and basic properties of attention are widely used to improve the learning and perception of information in children and adults.
The main features of attention in psychology
The properties of attention and their characteristics are one of the important themes of studying the mental and intellectual abilities of man. From these qualities, the activity and working capacity of each of us largely depends.
Attention properties in psychology are one of the tools of understanding behavioral and mental factors that influence the process and the ability to receive and perceive various information. The properties of attention include such characteristics:
- Stability of attention is an individual feature of the human psyche, which is characterized by the ability to focus on one object for a certain time. Each person has this property differently, but it can be trained to achieve higher results in studying subjects and achieving the goal .
- Concentration is the ability not only to keep attention for a long time on one subject, but also to disconnect from extraneous objects (sounds, movement, interference) as much as possible. The opposite quality of concentration is absent-mindedness.
- Concentration is the logical continuation of concentration. This is a conscious process, in which a person purposefully delves into the study of a particular object. This factor is of great importance in the intellectual and creative work of man.
- Distribution - the subjective ability of a person to hold simultaneously a number of objects simultaneously. The most revealing is manifested in communication, when a person can hear several interlocutors and keep dialogue under control with each of them.
- Switchability is the individual ability of a person to switch from one object or activity to another. The speed of switching and the ability to quickly rebuild attention, for example, from reading to a dialogue with the teacher is an important learning tool and in the future in working moments.
- Volume is the ability of a person to direct and retain a certain number of objects in the minimum period of time. With the help of special equipment it was proved that in one second of a second a person can keep in mind a specific number (4-6) of subjects.
Attention can be arbitrary (intentional) and involuntary (sensory, motor). The first type refers to the conscious intellectual work of the brain, when a person deliberately concentrates on studying the material, perceiving information and focusing on a particular subject or subject. Involuntary attention is a sensory mechanism, based on perception and sensations, when the interest is more connected with the emotional sphere.