Different types of attention include selective attention, sustained attention, divided attention, and alternating attention. Selective attention is used to focus on one activity, sustained attention is used for longer periods, and divided and alternating attention are used for multitasking.
There are different types of attention people use during everyday activities, such as when driving, cooking, or in class. Selective attention is one of the types of attention that requires a person to focus on one activity in the midst of many activities. Sustained attention is used when a person needs to focus on an event for a longer period of time. The other types of attention, divided attention and alternating attention, are necessary when a person has to concentrate on many things at the same time.
A person may need to use selective attention when attending a large gathering or when out in a public area, such as a restaurant. In a room full of people, all engaged in multiple conversations, she will have to focus on the conversation or activity she is participating in, ignoring other conversations going on around her. Selective attention can be used when a person is studying in even a noisy room.
When a person is able to sit and focus on a single task for an extended period of time, they are using sustained attention. Examples of sustained attention may include reading a book for hours or completing a task like sweeping the floor. Some people find it difficult to maintain this kind of attention and can get distracted easily. A key part of sustained attention is being able to refocus on the task at hand after a distraction arises.
The other types of attention are divided attention and alternating attention. When a person uses alternating attention, their brain is able to switch from one task to another. Usually, the tasks require the use of different areas of the brain. A common example of using alternating attention is reading and then making a recipe. Other examples of this kind of attention include singing and dancing or driving a vehicle. While driving, a person’s attention shifts from accelerating, checking the road to looking for obstacles, and signaling to turn, among other activities.
Alternating and divided attention are more complex types of attention than sustained and selective attention. Divided attention is also commonly referred to as multitasking. Someone can use divided attention when on the phone if they check their email at the same time. Unlike alternating attention, a person using divided attention does not switch from one task to a completely different one. Instead, try to run them at the same time.
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