What is voluntary attention, Its definition, characteristics, types, features and formation.
Attention is a special mental process through which our cognitive activity is directed and focused on phenomena and objects, processes and connections present in the world around us.
In psychology, we usually distinguish between involuntary, voluntary and post-voluntary attention based on the degree of participation of the will in the memorization process. Involuntary is not distinguished either by setting a goal to remember or by applying effort. Voluntary, on the contrary, is characterized by setting a goal to remember and the conscious use of willpower to remember. The post-voluntary grows out of the voluntary: becoming habitual, the effort of will ceases to be a burden. Goal setting remains, but volitional effort as such is no longer there. This happens when the process of purposeful effort becomes so important that a person is captured by his activity, and he no longer needs to make volitional efforts.
Features of voluntary attention
Voluntary attention manifests itself when we set a task for ourselves and develop a program for its implementation. The ability to control voluntary attention develops in a person gradually; it is not innate. But, having mastered the habit of voluntarily controlling our attention, its direction and concentration, we solve our problems more easily and no longer feel tension or discomfort due to the need to concentrate and maintain attention on what is necessary.
Voluntary attention demonstrates the volitional qualities of a person and his activity, reveals the range of interests, goals, and effectiveness. The main function of this type of attention is active participation in regulating the flow of mental processes. Voluntary attention allows you to find the necessary information in memory, identify the main thing, decide on a solution and act, solving problems and tasks.
Voluntary attention, when involved in work, involves the cerebral cortex (frontal regions), which are responsible for programming and adjusting human activity (including his behavior). The peculiarity of voluntary attention is manifested in the fact that the main stimulus in this case is a signal from the second signaling system (and not from the first, as happens with involuntary attention). Excitation that arises in the cerebral cortex as a thought or order to oneself becomes dominant. “Recharge” of voluntary attention occurs when the upper parts of the brain stem, reticular formation, and hypothalamus are activated, that is, under the influence of verbal stimuli. Voluntary attention is the highest mental function that distinguishes a person.
The conscious application of volitional efforts is a feature of voluntary attention, which helps in the process of working with new, unfamiliar material, when difficulties arise in work, when cognitive interest in a topic decreases, in the presence of various kinds of distractions.
We can highlight some distinctive features of voluntary attention as a higher mental function:
- its indirectness and awareness;
- arbitrariness;
- emergence during the evolution of the development of society;
- formation throughout life;
- the passage of certain developmental phases in ontogenesis;
- dependence and conditionality of the development of a child’s voluntary attention on his involvement in the learning process and on the assimilation of certain patterns of attention organization.
Features of human response
Our attentiveness is influenced by various characteristics and features that are related to our activities and hobbies. I will list a few characteristic features.
- Ability to switch. This is the ability to purposefully change the degree of your concentration from one subject to another. This ability depends solely on external factors, since a person can suddenly switch his attention to another most important object - this is common distractibility. However, there are times when it is difficult for a person to change the subject of concentration due to strong involvement, since during the transition he can think about the previous activity and thereby focus only on it.
- Ability to concentrate. A person must retain his interest in one particular matter or object for a specific time. The stronger the concentration, the better the result. A person can concentrate on a specific subject for half an hour. If you try harder, you will achieve success at work faster and show excellent knowledge.
- Sustainability. This concept is approximately similar to the previous one. A stable mental state is a person’s ability to concentrate on a specific activity for a long time without changing the orientation. Thanks to this quality, a person fills all his gaps in knowledge.
- Spraying. The ability to properly manage your time and focus on several things at once. Sometimes such a distribution quickly deprives one of strength, since when solving one problem, the individual at the same moment must think about another. If the level of human development is high, then productivity will be maximum.
- Volume. This is the number of objects, tasks, work that can simultaneously fit in the mind. If an individual can devote equal time to several things, then he has a very high level of mindfulness.
In addition to all factors, the occurrence of timely concentration is also influenced by mood. At various moments, it is this that determines what a person will react to.
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Types and characteristics of voluntary attention
Several types of voluntary attention can be distinguished: volitional, expectant, conscious and spontaneous. Each of these types of voluntary attention has its own specific features. The characteristics of voluntary attention in this case are somewhat different from each other:
- Volition manifests itself in conditions of conflict between “I want” and “need”, when it is necessary to use willpower and make efforts.
- Expectant behavior manifests itself in the process of solving problems that require vigilance.
- Consciousness is arbitrary in nature, but does not require much effort and proceeds easily.
- Spontaneous attention, close to post-voluntary attention, is characterized by the fact that in this case it is difficult to start something, but in the process of work, effort is no longer needed.
In older preschoolers, voluntary attention is still relatively weakly expressed and is characterized by low stability. Therefore, parents and educators are faced with the difficult task of organizing the child’s voluntary attention, without leaving things to chance and without dooming the development of attention to dependence on random coincidences.
Differences between voluntary and involuntary
Spontaneous mindfulness requires prompt behavior correction in a constantly changing environment. The voluntary type implies conscious regulation of activity and has the following features:
- gradualism and purposefulness - all the individual’s activity is aimed at achieving goals;
- composure and organization - the person prepares in advance for concentration and tries to maintain it using willpower;
- balance and stability - activities can continue for a long time, so it is necessary to be steady so as not to interrupt concentration.
When performing tasks or solving problems for a long time, you must remember that focusing on these objects for a long time leads to rapid fatigue and decreased productivity. Therefore, I recommend taking short breaks, which should be spent in the fresh air so that the brain is saturated with oxygen, and you can also do exercises to stretch your body.
The individual needs to be distracted from intellectual activity. But you shouldn’t switch to something else during the break and rest period. For example, reading a book does not promote relaxation, but only makes you even more tired.
In this article I explained what it is – voluntary and involuntary attention. If you feel that you cannot concentrate on any task, you should not solve this difficulty alone, as you can make everything much worse. I will help you solve problems with your inattention and identify the causes of impaired attentiveness.
If you decide to deal with your difficulties on your own, then I recommend giving your body time to rest so that your body can relax and your brain can recharge. I also advise you to give up junk food and engage in physical activity - sports, fitness.
The child's voluntary attention
The first signs of a child’s voluntary attention appear when we point him to a toy, and at the same time the child turns his gaze to him. The simplest form of a child’s voluntary attention begins to actively develop at about 2-3 years of age. By the age of four or five, a child, under the guidance of an adult, is already able to carry out quite complex instructions from an adult, and by the age of six, the child is already able to direct his attention, following his own instructions. Volitional processes develop from the age of six to seven.
It is necessary to take into account the age capabilities of the child, which limit the time for attentive completion of tasks. Often, parents consider their child inattentive, placing too high demands on him. Psychologists' studies show that at different ages children are able to concentrate for varying amounts of time, even when playing. So, at six months, one game takes a child a maximum of a quarter of an hour, and by the age of six, play time increases to one and a half hours. At the age of two, the baby is not yet able to “get distracted for an hour” by playing.
The ability to concentrate also develops gradually, and the child, as a result, is less distracted with age. Research shows that if at the age of three years a child is distracted about four times in 10 minutes of play, then at six years old - only once. Therefore, when working with preschool children, you need to give preference to short, alternating exercises. Each task should trigger involuntary attention, capturing the novelty, attracting and intriguing. Then voluntary attention is triggered: the adult gives instructions on how to complete the task. If the child becomes interested in the task, the mechanism of post-voluntary attention will also be activated, which will allow the child to study for quite a long time.
Around the age of six, the gradual development of voluntary and post-voluntary attention occurs: the child is able, through an effort of will, to direct attention to something that needs to be done, although, perhaps, he would prefer to do something more exciting. And only by the third grade is the child able to maintain attention throughout the entire lesson.
Formation of voluntary attention
To form the voluntary attention of older preschoolers, it is recommended to take into account factors that help organize the mobilization of attention most effectively. This purpose is served by:
- The ability to group perceived objects.
- A clear structure of the beginning and end of the game, the presence of attributes.
- Logically consistent and understandable instructions from an adult.
- Alternation of different types of activities using different analyzers (auditory, tactile, visual).
- Dosing the load taking into account the individual characteristics of a preschool child, both age and personal.
The formation of voluntary attention occurs under the influence of family, kindergarten, intellectual development, in a holistic system of education and upbringing. It includes the development of volitional qualities, and the development of a conscious attitude towards acquiring knowledge, and physical and aesthetic education. In this case, an important role is given to the use of pedagogical skills, thanks to which it is possible to organize preschool children’s classes as efficiently as possible. The teacher will be required to be intelligible, clear, expressive in presenting the material, visual, and use special exercises to develop attention. Highlighting letters, coloring, finding errors and other techniques are effective. Involving preschoolers in new activities, guidance and guidance from adults will gradually help the child master the ability to manage attention independently.
In the formation of voluntary attention, an important role is given to the development of persistent pursuit of a goal, willpower and determination. An equally important role is played by games that require you to follow certain rules. Such games develop character, will, independence, determination and activity.
In the next article we will talk about the development of voluntary attention, consider several games for the development of voluntary attention, and also dwell in more detail on the types of violations and methods of correcting a child’s voluntary attention.
Regular exercises and attention training always bring tangible results. It’s never too late to develop volume, concentration, stability, and switchability of attention! This can be done daily and with pleasure, using online brain game simulators.
We wish you success in self-development!
