Attention
What is attention and why do we need
it? Is it possible to multi-task effectively? Is the modern world too
distracting and over-stimulating for our brains? The answers to these questions
are revealed in this engaging video that explores various aspects of attention,
including distraction, divided attention, joint attention, and enhancing
cognition. Essentially all organisms, including human beings, rely on attention
as a means of survival. In the video, Jonathan Flombaum states that attention
is "the way we're preset to focus in on what seems to be just the kind of
information that we need to get around and survive in the world." While it
is possible and often necessary to multi-task, the brain cannot focus
completely on more than task at a time. The example of driving while talking on
the phone is introduced to show how attention is vulnerable to distraction. An
experiment is then presented in which individuals are asked to count the number
of times team members pass a ball around. More likely than not, viewers fail to
notice a gorilla that enters the scene for several seconds.
Joint attention, which occurs when humans or
animals use signals or eye-gazing to communicate, is often studied by
developmentalists. This capacity typically develops within the first year of
life in humans and is thought to be a precursor to language. Problems with
joint attention and other attention disorders are likely caused by disturbances
in the prefrontal cortex and thalamus areas of the brain. Although medications
and other activities have been shown to enhance cognition, Howard Egeth says
that "equally important is crafting the world to fit the human.
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