Conditions or determinants of attention:
The conditions of attention can be mainly divided into three categories, namely- 1. Material determinants 2. Personal determinants and 3. Physical or bodily conditions or causes.
1. Material determinants:
When the characteristics of the object or stimulus attract the attention of the person, then it is called material determinants. Here the determinant plays a subjective role. Among the material determinants are-
i. Intensity: Intense light, loud noise, dark colors, etc. attract our mind forcibly.
ii. Diffusion: The diffusion of the stimulus attracts our attention. Our attention is easily diverted to an unusually tall or short or very obese person.
iii. Repetition: Repetition is one of the material determinants of attention. If the word ‘help’ is uttered once, we may not pay attention, but if that word is uttered repeatedly, we cannot help but pay attention.
iv. Persistence or duration of stimuli: If the stimuli are short-lived, our attention may escape. But if they are long-lived, we are forced to pay attention.
2. Personal determinants:
When attention is determined by the characteristics of the individual, it is called personal determinants. Notable among such determinants are-
i. Interest: According to McDougall, interest is latent attention and attention is active passion. There is a close relationship between interest and attention.
ii. Habit: Habit is one of the personal determinants of attention. Those who have the habit of reading newspapers after waking up cannot pay attention to anything else until they can read the newspaper.
iii. Need fulfillment: We pay attention to food to fulfill the need for food. To fulfill the need for knowledge about a subject, we pay attention to books on that subject.
iv. Sentiment: Sentiment is a type of mental entity that develops around a person, event, object or subject
3. Physical or physical conditions or causes:
Physical and mental health are also effective as one of the conditions for attention. Although physical conditions are not conditions for attention in the proper sense, they still play a special role in concentration, such as-
i. Focusing the senses: The senses have to be focused on the object of attention. For example, keeping the eyes or ears alert.
ii. Physical changes: To pay attention, we make changes in the body parts, muscles or senses. For example, we tilt our head towards the object of attention.
iii. Special body postures: Many people have special body postures to pay attention. For example, many artists close their eyes while singing with concentration.
iv. Personal habits: Many people keep dancing their feet when they pay attention to a particular thing. As soon as they stop dancing their feet, their attention is lost.
Ways to attract attention:
The important ways to attract attention are discussed by yourself-
1. Diversity of the education system: The curriculum should be made diverse and multifaceted, not just book-centric. Sports and work-based education systems need to be formulated so that students develop an interest and passion for diverse subjects.
2. Healthy environment: If the school is established in a quiet, natural environment free from noise, the attention of students is easily attracted to studies.
3. Clarity of objectives: The objectives of education need to be explained clearly to the students.
4. Good rest arrangements: To remove fatigue and boredom of students, different topics should be included in the schedule according to psychology. Arrangements for rest should be made occasionally.
5. Life-centered education system: Combining education with daily life events and real experiences increases the attention of students.
6. Visual and auditory learning system: To activate the interest or passion of students, it is necessary to use visual and auditory learning materials during teaching.
Role of attention in education :
The relationship between attention and education is very close. One of the major problems in learning is attracting the attention of the student. In this regard, psychologists have mentioned a few strategies, which are-
1. Attention-attracting strategies:
The form of attention is not the same in personal life. The predominance of individual attention can be noted during childhood. At this level, the characteristics of the object are the determinants of attention. The child’s learning should be organized around the needs.
2. Voluntary strategies:
At the next level, voluntary attention is seen. At this time, the student’s attention should be attracted by informing about the purpose and practical needs of learning, creating sentiments, giving advice, and if necessary, by light discipline, etc.
3. Determinant application strategies:
The determinants of attention should be applied as needed. The objective determinants of attention such as intensity, clarity, novelty, repetition, etc. should be associated with the subjects to be learned.
4. Range-limiting strategy:
The teacher should ensure that the content selection does not exceed the attention span of the student. If necessary, large and complex sentences should be broken down into short, simple sentences.