Society 17:31 11/02/2015

Paying attention to attention: How to train yourself to be more focused and productive

A lot of factors go into maintaining attention: genetics, whether your environment is distracting or peaceful, past experiences, and of course, your own will. A new study out of Princeton University suggests even more so that if there’s a will, there’s a way: Students who constantly checked on their own levels of attention performed better at focusing tasks, Medical Daily reports.

Wandering thoughts — while at times a good way for the brain to rest, or for the mind to stumble upon a new creative idea — can also lead to lost productivity and even accidents, especially if they happen all the time. The authors of the study believed that these “lapses” occur because we simply don’t pay enough attention to our attention.

“We hypothesized that lapses in these tasks — and in life — occur because humans do not adequately monitor how well they are attending from moment to moment,” the authors write. “Lapses emerge gradually and may be detected too late, after the chain of events that produces behavioral errors has been initiated. Accordingly, one way to train sustained attention might be to provide a more sensitive feedback signal, such that participants can learn to sense upcoming lapses earlier and prevent them from manifesting in behavior.”

In the study, the researchers monitored the brain activity of several student participants who performed a repetitive task that required focus. They lay inside a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine while flipping through photos of human faces superimposed over scenery, and were asked to press a button when they saw either a female or male face — or when they saw either inside or outdoor scenery. Each time the researchers detected activity in a student’s brain showing reduced attention, the next task was even harder than the one before, forcing them to concentrate even harder if they had slipped up. This actually led to improved performance, as the students learned to check their attention to make sure they maintained it.

In other words, real-time feedback from our own brains can help us reduce attention laps and focus much better. “If you’re supposed to be focusing on the face and get distracted, we detect that in your brain before it causes an error on the task,” Turk-Browne said in the press release. “We alert the participant that they’re in the wrong state by making the task harder so they really have to buckle down. If we see they’re starting to focus on the right kind of things again, we make the task easier. By giving them access to their own brain states, we’re giving them information they wouldn’t otherwise have until they made a mistake.”

This proved that our brains possess attentional plasticity — or the ability to improve focus when checked on. After the training period, the participants seemed to be able to differentiate between the two states: attention lapse and concentration, which helped them stay in the focus zone.

“The basic science is really why we did the study, and we learned a lot about behavior and the brain,” Turk-Browne said in the press release. “I think some of the most interesting applications may actually be in the everyday mundane experiences we all have of not being able to stay focused on what we’re trying to do.” This could include driving for long periods of time, but the authors also hope that further research on the subject could in the future assist in treating attention disorders like ADD or ADHD.

But we definitely aren’t robots. Every once in a while, it’s normal to slip and find yourself staring out the window at the sky. And sometimes, these lapses of attention can be good for your brain by giving them some air to breathe. 



Source Panorama.am
Share |
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:

Newsfeed

17:00
Levon Aronian condemns Ruben Vardanyan's sham trial in Azerbaijan
Chess star Levon Aronian has condemned former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan's sham trial in Azerbaijan. "I know...
16:32
World-famous cellist Alban Gerhardt to perform in Yerevan
World-renowned cellist Alban Gerhardt will perform in Yerevan in late January, the Yerevan Municipality reports. The exclusive concert...
16:06
Opposition MP: 'Trials' of Armenian prisoners in Baku deal a direct blow to Pashinyan
Despite the Armenian leadership's “clear willingness to meet Baku’s demands”, the trial of Armenian prisoners that...
15:30
HRW reports four femicides in Armenia in one year
Armenia's authorities investigated 1,535 criminal domestic violence complaints through June 2024, a significant increase over the 484...
15:00
Drivers warned of icy roads in some parts of Armenia
The Rescue Service has warned drivers about a road closure and icy conditions in Armenia. In particular, the road linking the Amberd...
14:30
Pablo Santos leaves Noah
Defender Pablo Santos has left FC Noah. "Central defender Pablo Santos concludes his journey with our team," the club...
14:15
Azerbaijan must ensure fair trial rights of Ruben Vardanyan – Amnesty International
Reacting to the start of a trial of Ruben Vardanyan, a former de facto State Minister in Nagorno-Karabakh, Marie Struthers, Amnesty...
14:00
Government mum on Pashinyan's participation in Trump's inauguration
The Armenian government has not yet revealed whether Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will attend the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald...
13:30
Australian Open: Khachanov loses to Michelsen
American Alex Michelsen won against Russian Karen Khachanov, the No 19 seed, 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-2 to advance to the last 16 of the Australian Open...
13:01
EUMA hosts ambassadors from 22 EU nations
The European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) on Friday hosted ambassadors from 22 EU nations to Armenia to give them overview...
12:36
Nicolas Aznavour urges collective action for Ruben Vardanyan's release
Nicolas Aznavour, co-founder and chairman of the Aznavour Foundation, has called for collective action to secure the release...
12:09
Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan on a trip to Iran
Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, who is currently on a visit to Iran, on Friday met with Archbishop Sepuh Sargsyan, Primate of the Armenian Diocese...
11:59
Arman Tsarukyan issues first statement after UFC 311 dropout
Arman Tsarukyan is understandably devastated after having to withdraw from his first UFC championship fight, MMA Junkie reports. UFC...
11:37
RPA deplores lack of government efforts to protect Artsakh leaders from Azerbaijani persecution
The Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) on Friday denounced the fabricated charges against Armenian prisoners held in...
11:15
Ombudsperson slams 'trials' of Armenian prisoners in Baku
Armenia's Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan issued the following statement on the unfair trials of Armenians...
17:22
Human rights defenders call for international monitoring of trials of Armenian detainees in Baku
Over two dozen Armenian human rights NGOs and individual defenders have issued a joint appeal to international organizations and foreign...
16:51
Analysis: Aliyev's show trials echo Stalin's tactics in suppressing opposition
By Luis Moreno Ocampo, former ICC chief prosecutor Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev has resurrected one of Joseph Stalin's...
16:36
HRW: Azerbaijan failed to ensure ethnic Armenians' right to safe and dignified return to Nagorno-Karabakh
Human Rights Watch (HRW) released its annual report on the human rights situation in the world in 2024. The part concerning Azerbaijan...
16:01
Noubar Afeyan urges action to promote fair trial for Ruben Vardanyan in Baku
American-Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist Noubar Afeyan has called for vigilance in order to avoid “grotesque injustice” as...
15:34
Former ombudsperson condemns UN silence on Armenian prisoners held in Baku
Former Armenian Human Rights Defender Larisa Alaverdyan has urged the United Nations to take tangible actions to secure the release of Armenian...
15:08
Putin assesses Yerevan's steps in relations with EU in phone call with Pashinyan
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who made a telephone call to Russian President Vladimir Putin, offered his explanations concerning...
14:36
Ex-Artsakh ombudsman urges greater pressure on Baku to release Armenian prisoners
Former Artsakh Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan stressed the need for stronger international pressure on Azerbaijan to release Armenian...
14:05
Pashinyan, Putin hold phone call
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation on Friday. “The...
13:36
Strong winds expected in parts of Armenia
Dry weather is expected in Armenia's regions on Friday and Saturday. Snow is forecast for some parts of the country late on Sunday and...
13:14
Opposition MP: Armenian leadership made 3rd concession amid Baku's fresh threats
The Armenian authorities made a third concession to Baku amid fresh threats by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, opposition Pativ Unem faction...
12:35
Protesters demand release of Armenian prisoners held in Baku
A protest demanding the release of Armenian prisoners illegally held in Azerbaijan took place outside the UN office in Yerevan on Friday....
12:05
Henrikh Mkhitaryan calls for release of Ruben Vardanyan, other Armenian prisoners
Inter Milan midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan shared on Instagram Armenian social entrepreneur and philanthropist Ruben Vardanyan's...
11:30
'Twin Peaks' director David Lynch dies at 78
One of Hollywood’s worst weeks in years just got worse. David Lynch, the four-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind Blue Velvet,...
11:15
Heavy fog hits parts of Armenia
The Road Department Fund reports foggy conditions in Armenia's Vagharshapat, Artashat and Ararat regions, where visibility has...
11:00
Azerbaijan suspends cooperation with USAID
Azerbaijan announced on Thursday that its government will not renew a cooperation agreement with the United States Agency for International...

Follow us and get updates!

Most popular articles

{"core.blocks.header.spell_message1":"Selected mistake: ","core.blocks.header.spell_message2":"Send a message about the mistake?"}