Easily Distracted? Take a Load Off

Abstract

In the words of the famous early psychologist William James, everyone knows what attention is. It is a part of everyday life and you have probably never given the processes involved much thought. You want to pay attention to one thing and ignore something else? No problem, right? In fact, directing attention is an effortful process, dependent on many factors, both internal and external. Just imagine the following situation: You’re attempting to read something important but have so far read the same paragraph a dozen times because you keep getting distracted. Sights, sounds, smells and thoughts that are far less important than what you are reading keep drawing your attention. You abandon the book, deciding to take a break. You decide to play a video game to relax. An hour later you are enjoying your game when you are interrupted by a friend waving their hand in front of your ...