Attention is the focal point of awareness. Awareness can be thought of as everything that we are aware of now (and in memory, if extended) — attention is the spotlight that points out things in awareness of the moment.
Attention can be directed, misdirected, deflected and without attention, we might as well be blind.
Attention can be focused mentally, in the area of thoughts, ideas, logic and planning, or outward towards events and action.
Something that grabs the attention — or attention gravitates towards — is said to be salient.
Focus of Attention
Extremely High: Tunnel Vision
High Focus : Not easily distracted, stays on track. Distraction completely ignored or muted.
Fuzzy Focus: Easily distracted, ADD. :)
Peripheral Attention
Peripheral attention is always at work and may shift the focus of attention involuntary. For example, seeing something moving suddenly at the edge of your visual field will almost always cause you to look in that direction if you didn't know it was there or has been introduced into your environment. This is most likely an automatic survival reaction.
Directing Attention
Distraction changes the focus of attention for varying degrees of time.
Diversion redirects attention around an obstacle.
Your Own Attention
Your attention can be consciously directed inward or outward.
Directing Attention Outward
To direct attention outward simply look around and notice things around you. Keep shifting your eyes from point to point until you are 'out of your head' and your thoughts become background noise to the sensations of the external world.
Directing Attention Inward
Close your eyes and listen to your own thoughts.
Other People's Attention
Attraction and Aversion
You can direct other people's attention by use of attraction (give them something that they want to look at) and aversion, put something they don't want to look at where you don't want them to look.
Attraction
Consider the girls who show off the prizes in game shows.
Aversion
No one knows what's going on in the ghettos of the cities because nobody wants to think about it.
Novelty
Attention can be directed by introducing something new or unusual. The general rule is that attention craves novelty. On the flip side, being completely unremarkable makes something unnoticed and thus effectively invisible.
See Also
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Categories: philosophy
