lecture ending (Attention-psy 301)

Attentional Style and ADHD

• Personal Experience

  • A mother walks with her 12-year-old son, Jonah, who has ADHD.

  • Paranoia about him being careless near traffic due to his inattentiveness.

  • Jonah notices a tiny black caterpillar, demonstrating his ability to hyper-focus on interesting stimuli.

• ADHD and Hyper-Focus

  • Children with ADHD may focus intensely on topics they find interesting.

  • Example of Jonah’s keen observation of a caterpillar despite neglecting traffic safety.

  • Suggestion that this hyper-focus can lead to scientific inquiry and exploration.

Working with Attentional Styles

• Acknowledging Body Clock

  • Importance of understanding one's internal biological rhythms.

  • Adapting activities to when attentional capacity is highest.

• Attentional Duration

  • Discusses varying individual capacities for sustaining attention.

  • Recognition that some tasks demand prolonged focus while others do not.

Use of Checklists to Maximize Attention

• Origin of Checklists in Aviation

  • Checklists were developed to reduce attentional demands and improve safety in aviation.

  • High mortality rates among pilots prompted the need for systematic methods.

• Impact on Modern Fields

  • Checklists are now used in medicine to ensure critical tasks are completed (e.g., verifying patient information).

  • Acknowledges that even highly skilled professionals face attentional limitations.

Complexity of Attentional Systems

• Understanding Attentional Demands

  • Highlights how tasks may overwhelm attentional capacity leading to errors.

  • Example of complexities in situational awareness and the absurd failures of attention.

• Concept of Change Blindness

  • Illustrates how people can fail to notice significant changes in their environment despite direct observation.

  • Example demonstrated in a video where a person transforms and others remain oblivious.

Engagement with Audience

• Collective Experience

  • The audience has been observing and experiencing the lecture together.

  • Discussion on how attentional resources vary among individuals in noticing details.

• Quiz as Engagement Tool

  • Introduces a 'coffee quiz' with stakes to raise engagement; offers signed books as prizes.

• Humor and Side Notes

  • Includes light-hearted moments such as mentioning personal items and audience interaction.

  • Ensures a friendly and informal environment while discussing serious topics.