Atención: significado, concepto, tipos y ejemplos.
What is Attention?
Introduction to Attention
- The video discusses a process that allows us to direct our mental resources towards relevant aspects of our environment or actions we consider appropriate.
- This process is identified as the capacity for spontaneous or voluntary concentration of consciousness on an external or internal object that motivates or interests us.
Definition and Mechanism of Attention
- Attention is described as a mechanism that controls and regulates cognitive processes, sometimes acting unconsciously.
- The classification criteria for attention are based on the work of psychologist Soledad Ballesteros, which includes:
- Origin and nature of stimuli
- Subject's attitude
- Motor and physiological manifestations
- Subject's interest
- Sensory modality
Types of Attention Based on Stimuli Origin
- Internal Attention: Focuses on one's own mental processes, such as being aware of one’s heartbeat.
- External Attention: Refers to attention directed towards any external stimulus.
Types of Attention Based on Subject's Attitude
- Voluntary Attention: Involves active and conscious effort to focus attention, like listening in class.
- Involuntary Attention: Occurs when stimuli (internal or external) capture attention without conscious effort, e.g., the sound of a firecracker.
Types Based on Motor and Physiological Manifestations
- Open Attention: Accompanied by observable motor responses; for instance, facing someone while they speak.
- Covert Attention: Lacks visible perceptible response; an example would be trying to listen in on a conversation discreetly.
Interest-Based Types of Attention
- Selective Attention: Focusing interest on one stimulus amidst multiple distractions, like conversing with one person at a party.
- Divided Attention: The ability to attend to multiple demands simultaneously, often referred to as multitasking (e.g., studying while listening to music).
Sensory Modality-Based Types of Attention
- Visual Attention: Related to spatial awareness during visual tasks.
- Auditory Temporal Attention: Pertains to the duration over which auditory stimuli are perceived, such as watching a movie or listening to the radio.
Practical Application