Attention

Attention is a critical cognitive skill. It is the basis of all new learning and memory, a vital component of executive ability and skill that underpins all recovery and rehabilitation after brain injury. People with attention problems often say they can no longer concentrate on reading books, studying, or having multiple conversations. 

There are different types of attention:

Sustained Attention

• Concentrating on the same thing for prolonged periods, such as studying or reading. People with problems in this area often say that their ‘minds drift off or get distracted.

Selective Attention

• Involves selecting one aspect of our environment and ignoring or filtering out all background noise or other distractions.

Divided Attention

• The ability to pay attention to two or more things simultaneously. One student found it difficult to listen to what the teacher was saying and take notes at the same time.

How Impaired Attention Affects Memory

• People with impaired attention cannot easily encode (store) information for later recall. Attention helps us focus on what we want to remember and screen out anything that does not meet our immediate needs.

The ability to pay attention and sustain attention over time has a powerful effect on memory

• If we can't pay attention, we don't register what we experience in memory at all. If we manage to attend, but only fleetingly, we will remember less than if we attended fully. The more frequently one attends to something, the greater its likelihood of staying in memory. Research has identified several variables that influence how much attention people direct toward an object or task—and thus how deeply it will be encoded for storage and later reference.

An example of undivided attention

• Undivided attention is essential when learning or trying to understand something new. Learning most effectively occurs when you are entirely focused on the information you want to know.

What happens when your brain is distracted or not paying attention ?

• Distractions are everywhere, and today's world of ubiquitous technology provides more opportunities than ever for distraction. You may also be distracted by your own thoughts, perhaps a memory that you find interesting or an activity you want to do later in the day. The fact is, if your brain isn't focused on recording the information it needs to at that moment, it cant store it well. You've probably experienced how distracted attention can affect your memory. If you are focusing your attention on a photoshop technique you can't seem to master while your wife is asking you to take care of a chore while she's at work, you may not remember what chore she asked you to help with or that she even asked you to do something at all.