Attention
Attention and concentration are discussed in different areas of psychology and are relevant for almost all mental processes. Attention is strongly connected to consciousness and it is usually assumed that attention is a kind of filter that controls the flow of information that enters consciousness.
The task of attention is to regulate the amount of information in such a way that relevant information enters the consciousness while avoiding overload or distraction. An important aspect addressed by the so-called spotlight theory is the fact that attention is a partially actively controlled process; thus, on the one hand, attention controls the information that enters consciousness, but it is also controlled by consciousness.
The importance of attention quickly becomes clear: it is necessary to react appropriately not only to the amount of information, but also to its relevance, and this is only possible if the necessary information has been absorbed and processed. If this ability is disturbed or poorly developed, significant impairments can occur.
Details of attention
Classically, different types of attention are distinguished. Due to the far-reaching importance of the topic, the theoretical landscape is very distinctive and diverse.
Different types of attention:
Alertness: In a sense, this type of attention denotes the cognitive “basic activation”, which is a fundamental prerequisite for all other types of attention. Disturbances in this area are often accompanied by neurobiological damage, e.g. due to diseases.
Spatial attention: Spatial attention refers to the ability to shift attention between different locations. Shifting the focus of attention to a new location requires a relatively large amount of cognitive effort. An ongoing task must be interrupted and, if necessary after some delay, resumed at a different location. This puts a lot of strain on the working memory, which is closely linked to attention.
Focused attention: The classic filtering function of attention is reflected in focused attention. It is primarily a matter of focusing on the relevant and blocking out the irrelevant.
Switching attention: The ability to switch attention between different tasks or things is a central everyday skill. It is similar to spatial attention, but differs in that attention must be switched between different contents. In this case, greater stress occurs especially with strongly different attention targets.
Divided attention: Divided attention is, contrary to the everyday idea of “multi-tasking”, a special form of attention switching. By switching very quickly between attention targets, attention can be divided. Especially when attention is to be given to very different things, this can lead to strong stress. Such a division can usually only be maintained for a short time.
Continuous attention: Continuous attention refers to the maintenance of attention over a long period of time. The amount of information is decisive for how well this attentional performance can be achieved. If the amount of information is very small, e.g. if only one warning light is observed over a long period of time, the performance can decrease considerably after a while – this special form of sustained attention is called vigilance. On the other hand, too much information, e.g. in the case of air traffic controllers, can also lead to a drop in performance.
Concentrated attention: Concentration and attention are often used synonymously, but concentrated attention can be used to describe a special form of attention that requires cognitive effort in addition to attention. It is therefore always required when substantial mental work is associated with the filtered information.
In addition to the types of attention listed here, the aspects of planning and inhibition are relevant, among others: In the case of planned action, part of the attention must also always be devoted to adherence to the plan. The aspect of inhibition comes into play when not only a mere reaction to a stimulus is necessary, but an immediate reaction must be suppressed in favor of a selected action.
Attention in the professional context
Beyond disorders and weaknesses, attention has far-reaching significance for everyday life. In particular, attention is a decisive factor for success at work and in education. From an internal professorship analysis of over 1000 job descriptions, it became apparent that attention was one of the three most common job requirements. The only other more common requirements were communication skills and flexibility. Strictly speaking, attention is a necessary condition for these two performances, which again underlines the importance of attention.
Project: Everyday measurement of attentional competence
In an effort to find the optimal occupation for a position or the optimal position for a person, psychological-diagnostic procedures can be used. They allow skills such as attention to be measured objectively. However, the procedures currently on the market for measuring attention are often unsuitable for the occupational context. Most of these procedures aim to measure attention as a clearly defined partial performance; this serves its purpose especially when it comes to diagnosing disorders or deficits. However, this so-called partial performance diagnostics is unsuitable for the professional context, because in everyday life not only partial performances but whole ability groups are required. Groups of thematically linked abilities are also called competencies. The aim of this project is to develop and test innovative test concepts for the comprehensive assessment of different types of attention and related skills.
In conventional diagnostic procedures for measuring attention, a reductionist approach was followed in order to reduce interferences. The tasks to be worked on are reduced to the most necessary and are thus intended to specifically illuminate individual partial performances. However, the goal of competence measurement opens up the possibility of designing the tasks with additional aspects relevant to the content in a more realistic way.
Above all, everyday and realistic means of measurement are to be used. This should make it easier to relate to the reality of work and ultimately achieve higher prognostic validity.
Letzte Änderung: 11. October 2021