Questions tagged [attention]
For questions regarding how the brain and mind filter out different aspects of the environment to attend to others with greater salience, and experimental paradigms that explore these mechanisms or their underlying neural bases.
107 questions
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Ability to shift attention quickly and continue conversations from years ago seamlessly
Noam Chomsky asserted that he has "sort of buffers in the brain that allow [him] to shift back and forth from one project to the other and store one" and that he "can pick up after a ...
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Why does the mind go on "autopilot" at times, and what are the costs associated with overrding this function?
Being in familiar places, performing routine acts, and having "common" experiences is often reported to result in the brain entering a kind of "autopilot" mode. In autopilot, one ...
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Uninterrupted attention span
Wiki (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_span) reports that attention can be sustained in adults for a few hours, but I remember studying that attention can be effectively held only for a few ...
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What is ‘emotional capture’ and how does it manifest?
A quick internet search seems to result in a number of research papers (and similar) that discuss specific studies/experiments regarding the phenomenon, but virtually nothing seems to focus on ...
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How to overcome mental blocks when studying?
Let's suppose hypothetically I am subject A for extended periods of time and devoting my all my time to it. At some point, I feel I hit a plateu , similar to trying to drive in mud, I feel stuck ...
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After focusing for a long time, why do certain activities have the effect of refreshing or rejuvenating your mind?
If you've been studying or otherwise engaging in mental work, there are certain activities which are often recommended to "refresh your mind" when you are tired. Here are some common ...
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Sources on P1/N1 modulation with checkerboard probe
I have been able to find a lot of papers that modulate the P1/N1 component with a visual probe, usually a checkerboard presented parafoveally. I understand the basics of what I am reading, but I would ...
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What happens when we put attention on something for longer time
I have noticed and it must be a common experience for many of people that when they
put attention for extended period of time which could be as little as 15 minutes
or could span over days something ...
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Difference between concentration and attention
Is there any difference between concentration and attention ?
The dictionary definition and some websites on psychology mention they are same. whereas many people say they are different. I am unable ...
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What is the conceptual difference between causal inference and 'prediction'
Unifying brain theories of cortical function often describe the brain as a prediction machine, based on a generative model (given X, what's the probability of Y). In this context, from Bayesian ...
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Why does a person's mind keep imagining situations with problems that do not exist and continue solving those problems in the imagination?
Why does a person's mind keep imagining situations with problems that do not exist and continue solving those problems in the imagination?
This keeps the person generally in absent-mindedness and ...
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Asking "What's wrong in you life?" → Person sees more problems
I think if you ask a person "What's wrong in your life?" several times (for example monthly) the person starts to focus on negative things.
Maybe questions like this can have a negative ...
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References for how we perceive, process and give attention to news on social media
According to this popular science article, on most people read a social media article for 15 seconds or less, and watch a video for 10 seconds or less. I tried to go down the link rabbit hole, but ...
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What is the name of inattention/autopilot phenomenon that results in 'swapping out' errors
Suppose I am doing the laundry while simultaneously taking out the trash, so am carrying a bag of dirty clothes in one hand and a bag of rubbish in the other. I might be on autopilot where I lift up ...
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Paying attention: are we free to do so?
I got confused a bit after watching these two short videos: 1, 2 .
In first one it seems author suggests that: we aren't in much control on what to pay attention to? Did I get it correctly? Or maybe ...
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The clock stop when switching focus
I have notice that when I switch my focus from existing task to a clock (both digital, which shows numbers, and mechanical, which shows arms), the time on the clock seem to stop ticking for a brief ...
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What are the underlying basis/mechanism for inattentiveness in ADHD?
I have been exploring inattentive ADHD and I am really struggling to understand the difference between clinically significant inattentiveness in people with ADHD versus non-clinically significant ...
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Treatment and strategies for procrastination for ADHD
I am keen to know what strategies and treatment approaches works best for procrastination for people with ADHD?
People with ADHD seem to have a different level of complexity from the usual ...
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What works for procrastination?
Procrastination seems universal and well understood by the public. However, there seems to be very little research into techniques and approaches that works to reduce and manage procrastination.
The ...
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what is the difference between mindfulness meditations and focusing on other things?
For example:
While I'm studying(or doing anything in my life), my brain wanders around(daydreams, stresses, remembers unpleasant memories and thinks negatively about the future) so I notice that and ...
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Analysis of accuracy data?
I have accuracy data, where every subject gives a correct, i.e. 1 or wrong, i.e. 0 answer. However every subject performs 190 trials in each session, with 10 sessions in total.
To analyze the data I ...
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What is a validated online tool to administer Stroop and N-back test?
I'm trying to conduct a study in the field of cognitive experimental psychiatry. I need an online tool on a PC-based setup to administer Stroop, N-back, and choice reaction time tests. I found ...
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How does flow differ from or relates to attention?
Csikszentmihalyi introduced the notion of flow, which is almost certainly his best known work/concept.
Despite the fact that Wikipedia has a very long article on flow, I can't find a simple ...
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Does mindfulness meditation work for highly inattentive individuals?
Mindfulness practice requires extensive concentration for a prolonged period of time (e.g., attending to breath/body sensation for above 5 minutes). It is reasonable to assume that it might be ...
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"Dyslexia" in reasoning?
I was trying to use logical argument with a friend of mine recently, and found that she was missing my point and completely misunderstanding my position. So I wonder if there is something like ...
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What causes the lack of focus due to sleep deprivation? What are the outcomes of this?
When one is sleepy and one attempt's to work on something cognitively demanding, such as doing algebra in one's head, or trying to imagine a house's interior in detail, what causes the "resistance" to ...
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Tests for alertness
Have there been any researched paper or digital tests developed that test a persons alertness at a given point in time? By alert I mean having the reactions of a person who is not over-tired, ...
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What's the best way to calculate an index score based on reaction time, variance and accuracy?
Say I have a go/no-go task and my output data includes 3 parameters:
average reaction time, variance of reaction time, and number of errors.
I want to composite all of the parameters into a single ...
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The number of things we can focus on at once
In terms of computer science, a programming runtime like JavaScript can be assumed to have 1 thread, or one thing to focus on at a time. The processor moves sequentially through instructions, ...
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Is hypnosis really concentration/focus?
It's widely claimed that hypnosis is a state of highly focused attention.
But I've also seen many claims that the hypnotic state is about accessing the subconscious mind directly, essentially "...
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What is meant by this line, "Much of Neisser’s critique of filtering makes semantic rather than functional distinctions"?
I'm reading The Neuropsychology of Attention (2014) by Ronald A. Cohen, published by Springer. In Chapter 3 (Cognitive Psychology of Attention: Foundations), page 30-31, under the subheading Removing ...
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Can the mind be trained to equanimously observe compulsive urges/cravings (without giving in / acting out)?
Are there any practices or habits that one can employ, either frequently or on a daily basis, to train one's mind to equanimously observe (be aware of) compulsive urges or cravings, without giving in ...
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Is there a known mechanism by which people fall asleep less easy after watching TV?
It's my experience that people (I am one of them) tend to fall asleep while watching television. Afterwards, when lying in bed, sleep doesn't come as easy as when they were watching television.
Is ...
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How bright must a light bulb to be noticed in a room?
If one has say an 800 lumen bulb, how many lux are necessary in order for a human to detect when it's suddenly turned on in a room with brightness levels of
30 Lux
50 Lux
100 Lux
1.-How many Lux ...
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Is there evidence for “because it’s boring, it’s very easy to make errors”
There seems to be a common view in programming / software engineering:
“because it’s boring, it’s very easy to make errors”
And then the solution to this is often to introduce some level(s) of ...
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What are common parameters for the Eriksen flanker task? [closed]
I'm looking to create a flanker task for an upcoming experiment. I'm wondering if there are any papers/websites that outline what the "standard" flanker task contains?
Specifically, I'm trying to ...
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Proven research about how to minimise Continuous Partial Attention?
Continuous Partial Attention seem to be a natural reaction to the Age of Information. However, as some authors have argued:
it leads to a higher level of stress in the brain, prohibiting reflection,...
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How to measure and quantify concentration or focus?
How can we measure and quantify concentration or focus? For example, if I were to say:
"If you do Activity X while using Y, you will be more concentrated
than if you were using Z"
How can I ...
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Interaction between caffeine intake and biorhythm on alertness
Throughout the day, people's wakefulness and attentiveness varies, as modulated by one's circadian biorhythm. Whereas in the morning people are less awake, just before noon and around 15:00 people ...
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Effects of quantity and quality of breaks on learning
Are there papers which discuss the effects of quantity and quality of breaks during learning? Do state of the art papers have a common ground?
So far I have found these papers:
The Fourth R: Recess ...
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What is the effect of Daylight Saving Time on attentiveness and productivity?
This weekend the clocks were set an our later (in some countries), such that the daylight lasts an hour longer in the evening. This has several reasons, among which a reduction in energy consumption ...
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International Physical Activity Questionnaire and cognitive function
I'm looking for research that has examined the link between physical activity (as measured by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire [1] specifically) and cognitive function (any domain is ...
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What is considered an error in the sustained attention to response task (SART)?
The traditional SART task requires key presses to all digits appearing on the screen. However, the key press should be withheld if the digit is a 3
When aggregating the collected data, what is ...
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Which brain areas are linked to Hyperactivity in ADHD?
I'm looking for some research identifying which brain areas or biological processes are behind specifically the hyperactivity symptoms of ADHD? I have done a preliminary search but most of the ...
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Is the feeling of consciousness simply a perceived effect of a functional working memory and focus? [closed]
I do not have much knowledge, if any, on cognitive sciences so bare with me if this question is trivial or absurd.
I wonder this question because, personally, I feel less or more conscious during ...
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How to measure visual salience quantitatively
Salience makes objects pop-up from their surrounding and immediately attract our attention. A salient object in the visual domain would, e.g., be a red dot among white ones. We can sometimes ...
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What is the relationship between Working Memory and Attention, and how can one assess his WM?
If someone who had low working memory scores as a child suddenly sees in improvement in attention as he grows older, does his ability to hold and manipulate information also increase? Or does ...
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What techniques are being used here to influence the subject to pick a certain outcome?
The question is about this video.
Summary of the Video: (can skip if you watched it)
The only audio is "elevator music." There is a man who communicates only with written orange signs. He asks the ...
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how to comprehensively assess three areas of cognition (attention, reaction-time, memory) on a daily, personal basis, preferably online,? [closed]
I am attempting to figure out a battery of tests that I can perform on myself on a daily/weekly basis to test whether any intervention I attempt on myself actually improves my cognitive performance.
...
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What is the relationship between visual attention network and visual stream (Two-streams hypothesis)?
There are two visual attention networks proposed by Maurizio Corbetta and Gordon L. Shulman (2002). These are top-down and bottom-up attention networks.
One system, which includes parts of the ...
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