Psychology

According to The Merriam Websters Dictionary (2009), attention is defined as the act or state of applying the mind to something. The secondary definition of this term states a condition of readiness for such attention involving especially a selective narrowing or focusing of consciousness and receptivity (Definition of Attention, 2009). In reality this definition is much more complex than the simple wording suggests. Attention involves using ones cognitive skills to focus ones attention, as well as having the required level of motivation to pay attention to specific stimuli to being with. Paying attention is not just look at something, or reading something, it is the ability to process the information we are receiving.

Attention involves several different cognitive tasks including, perceiving the stimuli, focusing on the stimuli, and processing the information that we receive from the stimuli. Without appropriate levels of cognitive skills and perception, one loses the ability to focus ones attention on specific stimuli. Cognitive deficits that create attention difficulties may result in learning difficulties such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and other problems such as acting out in the classroom.

There is no one standardized definition of attention. Attention involves many different cognitive processes, and the use of several different skill sets. Especially, if one is deliberately paying attention to a specific set of stimuli or perceptions such as a classroom lecture, or a movie. It can also include factors such as motivation, learning ability, and information processing.

Attention can be either a deliberate or an involuntary act. According to Johnson, and Proctor (2004), people unconsciously pay attention to a limited amount of stimuli that we encounter each day. This is known as Selective Attention and this is involuntary. However if we are motivated to pay attention to specific stimuli we can focus our attention on that specific stimuli and pay attention to only that stimuli. For example, if you watch a child playing a video game, you will see the child   become deeply so immersed in that game to the point that nothing outside that video will disturb the child. They are choosing to pay attention to only a select set of stimuli intentionally and deliberately rather than involuntarily.

The problem with choosing to pay attention to a specific set of stimuli lies in the fact that the mind perceives so many different stimuli within the course of a single day that it is often difficult to determine which stimuli require ones attention. So all too often attention remains at the involuntary level at best. Paying attention to stimuli in a deliberate manner requires training the mind over the course of time. Children begin learning these skills in their early childhood and they continue developing over time. If someone is poorly trained in voluntarily focusing their attention on specific stimuli than they will have more difficulty paying attention to something than someone who has better training in this area.

According to Willingham (2006), there is a powerful connection between cognition, and attention. Paying attention requires the use of memory, and perception. One must perceive the stimuli one is going to pay attention to, as well as using ones memory and other cognitive skills to process the information or stimuli you are trying to pay attention to. It is rather like the chain link fence if even one link in the chain is broken than the fence will not be as effective at keeping out unwanted stimuli. If a person has cognitive deficits, specifically in the areas of memory or perception they will also have difficulties with their attention span. These cognitive difficulties can range from ADHD to brain damage however they almost inevitably result in difficulty paying attention to one specific set of stimuli while tuning the others out.

The links between cognition and attention have been studies throughout the history of psychology. According to Johnson and Proctor (2004) the first studies on attention began with Wundt in the 1870s and famous psychologists from every area of psychology from Watson, to Bandera have studied attention, and have attempted to develop suitable explanations of what attention is, and how attention works. These studies have provided a wealth of information that seeks to explain how cognition and attention are linked, and the information is too diverse to explain within the course of a three page paper.

As more research is done, the links between cognition and attention will probably become increasingly clearer. This is true, most specifically, because psychology has evolved from performing simple pencil and paper laboratory experiments involving cognition to experiments that use modern technology such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs) to detect which parts of the brain are more active when a person is utilizing the various cognitive processes to pay attention to a specific set of stimuli.

It can be concluded that attention involves several complex cognitive processes. The person needs to perceive the stimuli, be motivated to pay attention to the stimuli, and process the information they receive from the stimuli in order for the process of paying attention to be complete. Attention is a crucial aspect of learning new information, and of utilizing any information that we learn. People can and do deliberately pay attention to specific stimuli deliberately, one example, is that of paying attention to a classroom lecture. Finally, it can be stated that cognition and attention are closely linked which is one reason why cognitive deficits often lead to problems with attention as well.