NHF COLLEGE OF NURSING , MYSURU

PSYCHOLOGY
UNIT – VI
COGNITIVE PROCESS
ATTENTION

Presented By:
Prof.Ananda.s
 COGNITION
• Cognition is a term referring to the mental processes involved
in gaining knowledge and comprehension.
• These cognitive processes include thinking, knowing,
remembering, judging, and problem-solving.
• These are higher-level functions of the brain and encompass
language, imagination, perception, and planning
 Example for Cognitive Process:
• You look for the items you need
• Make selections among different brands
 COGNITIVE PROCESS
◈ Attention
◈ Perception
◈ Learning
◈ Memory
◈ Thinking
◈ Intelligence
◈ Aptitude
◈ Alteration in Cognitive Process
ATTENTION
 Attention
MEANING
• Attention is the focus of consciousness on a particular object or
ideas at a particular time, to the exclusion of other objects or
ideas
• It is the process involving the act of listening, and
concentrating on a topic, object or event for the attainment of
desired ends.
 MEANING CONT’D

• It is essential for acquiring the knowledge.

• “Act of directing one’s thought” towards a particular act or
object
• Concentration or focusing of consciousness upon one object -
Woodworth
• Eg. Military commander – prepares a soldier for an action/war
Students will prepare for exam
 DEFINITION OF ATTENTION
◈ “Attention is the concentration of consciousness upon one
object other than upon another”—Dumville.
◈ “Attention is the process of getting an object or thought clearly
before the mind”—Ross.
◈ Process which compels the individual to select some particular
stimulus according to his interest and attitude out of the
multiplicity of stimuli present in the environment
-Sharma R. N.
Types of attention

3.Habitual attention
 TYPES OF ATTENTION
According to ROSS
Volitional (Voluntary) Attention
• It requires will power and deliberate efforts for arriving at a
solution (or) achieving certain goals. It is less spontaneous or
automatic.
• For example, uninteresting lectures, difficult assignment.
 Volitional (Voluntary) Attention
It is divided into:
• Implicit attention:
• A single act of will power is enough for arousing this attention.
E.g-Teacher has assigned task and showed reward.
• Explicit attention:
• It is obtained by repeated acts of will power.
E.g- Attention on studies during holidays to gain good mark,
Attention paid during examination.
 Non-volitional (Involuntary) Attention
• It does not require role of will (or) conscious effort. It is
aroused either by instincts or our sentiments.
• It is divided into:
• Spontaneous attention: Non-volitional attention aroused by
sentiments is called spontaneous attention.
E.g-: A mother's attention on noticing her crying child.
• Enforced attention: It is aroused by our instincts.
E.g-: giving attention out of curiosity, Attraction to opposite
gender
 II.According to Solberg and Mateer
1. Selective Attention (Specific) -It means the ability to attend to
a specific stimulus or specific activity in the presence of other
distracting stimulus.
• For example: Keep oneself from getting distracted by irrelevant
stimuli while driving
2. Divided Attention - The ability to attend different stimuli or
activity at the same time.
For example: Need to carry out all the necessary activities for
driving like using the pedals, turning the wheel, and changing
gears is dividing attention
3. Alternating Attention
• It means the ability to change focus and attention between two
or more stimuli.
• For example: To change focus from one lane to another, to the
mirror and back to your lane while driving.
4. Sustained Attention (Long Duration)
• It means the ability to attend to a stimulus or activity over a
long period of time.
• For example- Need to pay attention for long period of time
while driving or stay focused on studying for hours.
• 5. Arousal Attention
It refers to our activation level and level of alertness whether
one is tired or energized.
For example: To he awake (arousal) while driving.
Alert in Examination
6. Focused Attention
• It means the ability to focus attention on a stimulus.
 For example: To be able to focus our attention on the stimuli
on the road while driving
 Focused study during examination
 III. Based on Senses
Auditory Attention
• Auditory attention pays attention only to the hearing senses.
• For example: Paying attention to announcement
Visual Attention
• It pays attention to the details or inputs which are received by
eyes only and no attention to other stimuli present in the
environment.
• For example: Watching, advertising and reading.
 Habitual Attention
• Habitual attention arises from attitudes, habits, and interests.
Here, there is no Conscious efforts or sensation available for
striking to attract an involuntary attention.
• For example: The attention that a nurse gives to her patient .
 DETERMINANTS FACTORS
• Factors affecting attention may be divided into the following
types they are;
 External factors
 Internal factors
 External factors
• Nature of the stimulus-
• All types of stimuli are not able to evoke the same degree of
attention. An attractive stimulus should always be chosen for
capturing maximum attention.
• A picture attracts attention more readily than words. Among the
pictures, the pictures of human being (especially beautiful woman
or handsome men) capture more attention than those of animals
or objects.
• It has been found that in comparison with other sensations, color
and sound attract more attention.
 Intensity of the stimulus:

• In comparison to a weak stimulus, an intense stimulus attracts

more attention of an individual.
• Our attention becomes easily directed to a loud sound, a
bright light or a strong smell.
 Size of the stimulus:

 In general, bigger size objects in the environment are more

likely to catch our attention than a small object.
 A small size on a very big background also attracts attention.
 Contrast, change and novelty:
• Change and variety strike attention more easily
than routine. The use of maps and charts
suddenly attracts the student’s attention, when
compared to the routine verbal talk.
• We do not notice the ticking on the watch, but
it arrests our attention, as soon as it STOPS.
• Novelty -newness attracts attention.
Eg- New brands – Cloths, Mobile, New Teacher
 Location of the stimulus:
• The location of the stimulus also affects attention.
• In the case of visual stimuli, the most effective location is to be just in
front of the eyes.
• For example, it has been found in experiments that advertisements
given on the front page or on the upper half of any page attract more
attention.
 Repetition of the stimulus
• A repeated stimulus attracts our attention. We may ignore a
stimulus at first instance but, when it is repeated several times,
it captures our attention.
• A mis-spelt word is more likely to be noticed, if it occurs twice
in the same paragraph than if it occurs only once.
 Movement of the stimulus
• A moving stimulus catches our attention more quickly than a
stimulus that does not move.
• Therefore, the pictures on a television screen or those in a
cinema hold our attention for hours at time.
 Definite form of the object:

• A sharply defined object attracts our attention more than a

broad indefinite object. A figure attracts more attention than
the background.
• A very clearly defined object attracts our attention more than a
vaguely indefinite object.
 Isolation of the stimulus

• Isolation is an important external determinant of attention.

• A student sitting alone in the corner of the class is seen first
(attracts more attention than others).
 B. Internal Factors or Conditions
• A person’s attention to a stimulus depends not only upon the
characteristics of the stimulus or the favorable environmental
conditions but also upon his interest, motives, basic needs and
urges, etc.
• Interest : Interest is a very helpful factor in securing attention.
We attend to objects, in which we are interested.
 Motives

• The basic drives and urges of the individual are very important
in securing attention.
• Thirst, hunger, sex, curiosity, fear are some of the important
motives that exercise definite influence upon attention.
 Mental set-up

• A person always attends to those objects, towards which his

mind has set.
• For example, on the day of examination the slightest thing
concerning the examination easily attracts the attention of the
students.
 Past-Experience(training)
• Learning and previous experience facilitate attention.
• If we know by our experience that a particular person is
sincere to us, we pay attention to what ever he advices.
 Emotion

• The emotional state, in which a person determines attention.

• For example, a person attends only to bad qualities of his
enemy.
 Habit
• Habit is also an important determinant of attention.
• A person develops a habit of attending to important things and
a habit of not attending to the unimportant things
 Aim
• Every man has some immediate and ultimate aims.
• So, a student whose aim is to pass the examination, More
attention to studies.
 Meaning:
• In comparison to meaningless stimuli, meaningful stimulus
attracts more attention.
 Disposition (natural tendency) and temperament
• Both are important internal factors which attract attention. For
example, a man having a religious disposition and spiritual
temperament will attend to religious matters.

• Besides the conditions described above many other factors

influence attention, such as heredity, education, family,
school, society, attitude, mental and physical state etc. which
have a wide influence on attention
 Span of Attention

• The maximum amount of material that can be attended in one period of

attention is called span of attention.
• This can be visual attention or auditory attention.
• Duration of Attention
• It refers to, how long one can attend to an object without a break.
• The duration of attention depends upon the nature of the material, the
interest of the observer, and other conditions.
• A typical student's attention span is about 10 to 15 minutes long, yet most
classes can last for 30 minutes to an hour.
• The average adult has a maximum attention span of about 20 minutes.
 Sustained Attention (Act of Fixation of Mind)

• Sustained Attention (Act of Fixation of Mind)

• Sustained attention refers to a process of paying one’s
attention over a particular activity for a long duration without
any serious distraction.
• The individual attention always remains on track and the
activity proceeds systematically without any serious
distraction.
 Shifting or Fluctuation of Attention

• While paying attention towards an object or an event, it is not

possible to hold attention continuously with the same intensity
for a longer duration.
• It is constantly shifting from one object to another, from one
aspect of the situation to another.
• We can perform only one voluntary act at a time and not two or
more acts at a time.
• However, we can quickly shift attention from one voluntary act
to another.
 ALTERATIONS IN ATTENTION (Distraction)
• Alterations in attention, means the changes in the forms,
modes and quality of the attention paid by us towards a
stimulus in a particular duration and given situation.
• Distraction means any stimulus whose presence interferes with
the process of attention or draws away attention from the
object which we wish to attend.(HR Bhatia—1968)
 Sources of Distraction

• They affect the individual according to his own mental set- up

and personality characteristics. The conditions which cause
distraction to an individual may prove helpful in sustaining
attention to others.
• External factors/environmental factors
• Internal factors
• External Factors
• Noise, music, improper lighting, uncomfortable seats,
unfavorable temperature, inadequate ventilation, defective
methods of teaching, defective voice of the teacher, etc.

• Internal Factors
• Emotional disturbances, ill health, boredom, lack of
motivation, fatigue, etc.
 Types of Distraction

1.Continuous Distraction
• The distraction is continuous in nature.
• For example, the sound of radio played continuously, the noise
at the marketplace, etc. Experiments have shown that
adjustment to continuous distraction takes place quickly.
 2.Discontinuous Distraction
• It is irregular. For example, the hearing of somebody’s voice
every now and then. It interferes with work because of the
impossibility of adjustment.
 Implication of Attention in Nursing
1.Attention helps a nurse to become mentally alert.
Attention is essential in nursing work to perform daily activities, such as
care planning and delivery to all kinds of patients, including those
requiring highly Complex care.
• Attention provides strength and ability to continue the work of
cognitive functioning despite the obstacles put by the distractions like
noise. It helps in better organization of the perceptual field for
maximum clarity and other weather conditions.
2.Attention helps in bringing mental alertness and understanding
of the object or phenomenon. Nurse should be attentive while
receiving necessary instructions from attending doctors,
change of shift, etc. She also needs alertness for execution of
professional duties. Most of the time, one nurse has to take
care of several patients, in such situation, she needs attention
during drug administration and doing other procedure
3. While teaching to nursing students, a faculty requires high
attention to control all students. Similarly, students should also
be attentive while attending lectures and demonstration.