Attention

The term attention refers to the way in which humans allocate limited cognitive resources to information processing. Arousal, effort, mental effort, concentration, mental involvement, and engagement are the terms that are usually used for defining attention. Selective attention, sustained attention, and divided attention are the issues of greatest concern in educational settings.

Due to the different definitions and issues emphasized in different disciplines such as cognitive psychology, clinical psychology, and neuropsychology, the assessment of attention involves different approaches with different instruments. The assessment of attention can reveal the individual differences in learning concentration and control strategies; therefore, it is important for studies in the science of learning, educational counseling, and individualized learning. This entry describes the definitions of attention from different perspectives and reviews the primary ...