Voluntary attention, its features, types, formation. Voluntary attention of a child

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.

Concept and types of attention in psychology

Attention is a person’s ability to selectively direct perception to one or another object, while focusing thoughts, vision and hearing.

Attention can also be considered as a special property of the body that allows you to skip and perceive information of high significance, and allows you to react only to what is of interest.

Properties:

stability (the ability to concentrate on one thing for a long time),
switchability (the ability to quickly move from one object to another, in the process managing to achieve maximum concentration on each of them),
distractibility (the degree of susceptibility to stimuli that are not within the scope of the task at hand),
volume of attention (number of simultaneously perceived objects/stimuli/sources of information),
concentration (focus on an object),
distribution (simultaneous performance of several types of activities that do not involve switching attention).

There are three types of attention:

Involuntary. This is the simplest, most basic type, which is inherent in every person at the genetic level. It is also called forced or passive. Involuntary attention has a biological origin and is characteristic even of animals.
Arbitrary .
This type is associated with the will of a person, as it is manageable and controlled. Voluntary attention is subordinated to conscious goals, and therefore stands out among other types. It has a social origin.
Post-voluntary . A type of attention that is inherently a transition from voluntary attention to involuntary attention.

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.

Involuntary

Involuntary attention is the most ancient and passive type , which arises regardless of human consciousness and is maintained without the application of volitional effort.

How do we distinguish between active and passive imagination in psychology? Find out about this from our article.

Causes and conditions of occurrence

The reason for involuntary attention lies in the external world (environment). But it also depends on the emotional and instinctive prerequisites (features) of the individual.

Any phenomenon, object or activity captivates a person because of its uniqueness, entertainingness, significance, etc.

The nature of the stimulus plays a big role : how noticeable it is in the environment and how much it stands out against the general background.

Bright colors, intense smells, excessively loud sounds and expressive tactile sensations “switch” a person’s attention to themselves.

However, there is no absolute indicator reflecting the strength of the stimulus. After all, in a dark room, the light of a flashlight will attract attention, while in a illuminated room, a switched-on flashlight may go unnoticed.

Compliance with the internal state of a person is another significant criterion. A hungry person will react to the image and smell of food much more actively than a well-fed person.

The general orientation of the personality also affects involuntary attention. A person will be directed to the perception of objects and situations related to his priority activities and interests.

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.

Games to develop attention for children 3-4 years old

In early preschool age, children's attention is not yet stable enough; it is difficult for them to concentrate on something, especially if there are distractions. The adult’s task is to select material for games that would be interesting to the child and he could concentrate on it for at least 5-7 minutes.

“Complete the picture.” Draw objects that are missing details on a sheet of paper in advance. For example, a car without wheels, a cat without a tail, or a hare without ears. Let the child look carefully at the pictures and guess what is missing. Then the child or adult completes each picture.
"Repeat after me". This exercise can be performed both at home and outdoors. Show your child a simple movement and ask him to repeat after you. Gradually increase the number of movements.
"Find a match." Draw pairs of objects on paper or place them on the table. Let the baby put them in pairs.
"Find differences". Invite your child to look at two pictures that differ from each other in several details (no more than 7). The baby must find these differences.
“What did the artist mix up?” Draw or print a picture that shows objects in the wrong places or with the wrong details. For example, a car flies through the sky, a cat has bunny ears, fish walk on the ground, and so on. The child must show that the artist has mixed up and explain why.

For activities, choose bright and simple objects and images to interest your baby. If the child does not want to complete the task, do not insist. Please try again after some time.

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!

Article:

Attention is a condition for the successful implementation of any activity, both external and internal.
The development of attention plays an important role in preparing a child for school, it is necessary for the assimilation of school knowledge, and is the most important condition for success in educational activities. In science, there are several definitions of attention that have become more or less stable and generally accepted. In some studies, attention is defined as the direction and concentration of mental activity on some objects while simultaneously distracting from everything else. Dobrynin N.F. characterizes attention as follows: “Attention... represents the direction and concentration of a person’s mental activity. Direction means the selective nature of this activity and the preservation of this chosen activity; concentration means deepening into a given activity and distracting from the rest.”

Attention in the life of a preschooler performs many different functions: it activates necessary and inhibits currently unnecessary psychological and physiological processes, promotes the organized and targeted selection of information entering the body in accordance with its current needs, and ensures selective and long-term concentration on one object or type of activity.

Attention is associated with the direction and selectivity of cognitive processes. Attention determines the accuracy and detail of perception, the strength and selectivity of memory, the direction and productivity of mental activity.

The main types of attention are natural and socially conditioned attention, direct and indirect attention, involuntary and voluntary attention, sensory and intellectual attention.

Natural attention is given to a person from his very birth in the form of an innate ability to selectively respond to certain external or internal stimuli that carry elements of information novelty.

Socially conditioned attention develops during life as a result of training and upbringing.

Direct attention is controlled by nothing other than the object to which it is directed and which corresponds to the actual interests and needs of the person.

Indirect attention is regulated using special means, such as gestures, words, etc.

Involuntary attention is not associated with the participation of the will, but voluntary attention necessarily includes volitional regulation. Involuntary attention does not require effort to maintain and focus attention on something for a certain time, and voluntary attention has all these qualities.

Voluntary attention is one of the most important characteristics of children’s cognitive activity. The term “arbitrary” is formed not from the word “arbitrariness”, but from the word “volition”, meaning will, desire. Along with thinking, perception, memory, and imagination, voluntary attention is the most important acquisition of personality at this stage of ontogenesis. It is associated with the formation of volitional qualities in the child and is in close interaction with the general mental development of the child.

The initial characterization of voluntary attention always emphasizes the need for conscious efforts to focus attention in a certain direction, noting its pulsating nature and other features accessible to introspection (W. James).

The transition to characterizing the psychological nature of voluntary attention begins with an attempt to understand its motivation. T. Ribot, who put forward this idea, believed that the source of those “additional forces” that support the corresponding efforts are “natural engines that deviate from the direct goal and are used to achieve another goal” “Attention, voluntary, or artificial, is a product of art education, training, passion for something. It is grafted into involuntary or natural attention, and from it draws the conditions for its existence, just as a grafted branch is nourished by the trunk of a plant.”

“The process by which voluntary attention is constituted boils down to the following single formula: artificially make attractive what is by nature unattractive, give artificial interest to things that are in themselves uninteresting.”

At stage I, primary feelings such as fear appear in this function; on II - secondary: pride, competition; on III - attention moves to the area of habit.

Lange N.N. notes such an important internal difference of voluntary attention that the goal of the process is known in advance to the subject. In other words, he has, although incomplete and pale, preliminary knowledge about the object of attention.

Dobrynin N.F., Rubinshtein S.L. and other scientists characterize voluntary attention as a selective focus of consciousness on a particular object or phenomenon of the surrounding world, as a result of which it becomes possible to acquire specific knowledge from them. Consciousness has a social nature, therefore, voluntary attention, as its most important functional characteristic, also has social roots.

The nature of voluntary attention is described in his studies by L.S. Vygotsky. In the context of the ideas of the French sociological school about the culturally mediated nature of voluntary behavior, it was experimentally shown that the genesis of voluntary attention includes the conscious use of various stimulus-means that have a symbolic character.

Another conceptual position: voluntary attention performs a control function in mental activity. In other words, in its essence it represents mental actions of control (Galperin P.Ya.). Attention is an ideal, automated and shortened form of control. It is “the organization of a clear inspection procedure”; “dividing into units of verification” “selecting a criterion, sample, standard, measure.” It can be formed, like any other mental action, first on a practical level, and then, in the process of internalization, transferred to the mental level. External control turned into internal control, i.e. self-control is voluntary attention. In this case, it becomes a general activity skill. Galperin P.Ya. notes that attention is control in the form of an ideal, abbreviated, automated action, the end product of the gradual formation of control as a “mental action”: “Not all control is attention, but all attention is control.”

Having conducted a number of experiments on the formation of voluntary attention in children, Halperin was confirmed in his conviction that attention should be considered as a separate form of mental activity, that it, like any other action, must be specially taught.

Following Galperin, a number of scientists devoted their work to the education of attention, and in particular the development of voluntary attention. However, these studies were mainly conducted among school-age children. Most authors define attention as the direction and concentration of consciousness on an object, as a side of other meaningful mental processes, and not as an independent form of mental activity. Therefore, ways to develop attention are sought in the education of some other activity. Indirectly, this approach also has a certain positive effect on the development of attention, since all forms of activity are associated with attention. However, this result is not constant, varies in quality and is not always achieved. This is evidenced by numerous observations of the teacher’s work, and the results of a special study of difficulties in his work conducted by N.V. Kuzmina.

Uruntaeva G.A. A preschooler’s attention is defined as the direction and concentration of mental activity on a specific object when distracted from others. This mental process, continues Uruntaeva G.A., is a condition for the successful implementation of any activity, both external and internal, and its product is its high-quality implementation.

Attention has external and internal manifestations. The first includes a tense posture, a concentrated gaze, the second includes changes in the body, for example, increased heart rate, breathing, the release of adrenaline in the blood, etc.

Traditional types of attention are divided by the presence of a goal to be attentive and the use of volitional efforts to maintain it. This classification includes involuntary, voluntary and post-voluntary attention. The involuntary is caused by the characteristics of the stimulus, activity with the object, and is associated with the interests, needs, and inclinations of the person. Voluntary attention presupposes a consciously set goal “to be attentive” and the use of volitional efforts to maintain it, for example, a child resists distractions while continuing to prepare his homework. Post-voluntary attention is observed when the goal of an activity moves from the result to the process of execution, and the need for volitional efforts to maintain attention disappears.

The level of development of attention is indicated by the formation of its properties: concentration, stability, distribution and switching. Concentration is determined by how deep a person is in his work. An indicator of stability is the time of concentration on an object and the number of distractions from it. Switching is manifested in the transition from one object or activity to another.

The development of a preschooler’s attention directly depends on the adult’s position in communicating with the child, as well as on how the adult organizes the child’s activities.

V.A. Sukhomlinsky wrote: “The attention of a small child is a capricious “creature.” It seems to me like a timid bird that flies away from the nest as soon as you try to get closer to it. When you finally manage to catch the bird, you can only hold it in your hands or in a cage. Don't expect a bird to sing if it feels like a prisoner. So is the attention of a small child: if you hold it like a bird, then it is a bad helper.”

Peculiarities of attention of preschool children

Having crossed the bar that separates preschool from early childhood, children enter the stage of intensive development of all cognitive processes. The peculiarities of attention in preschoolers in comparison with the previous stage are manifested in the fact that many more different objects now fall into the field of vision and hearing.

Now objects do not have to be bright and catchy, or sounds loud and ringing, in order to capture the attention of a preschooler. A three-year-old child is interested in almost everything that surrounds him. The age of “why” begins, when you want to know about everything, what it is and how it functions.

At 4-5 years old, children develop a strong collaboration between attention and imagination, which allows children to listen to a fairy tale and at the same time imagine the main characters. The object of attention becomes the speech itself, its sound, and new concepts.

More and more, preschoolers are paying attention to relationships between people, both peers and adults. They begin to notice the peculiarities of communication, the behavior of others, their verbal address and actions.

Age characteristics of attention

Attention has properties or characteristics that increase at each age stage. The main ones relate to the quantity and retention of perceived information:

volume
distribution
switching
sustainability

At preschool age, all of the above properties are qualitatively improved. An important fact is that in just a few childhood years, span should approach the corresponding indicator of an adult – 5-7 objects. Considering how small the attention span of a child under three years old is (only 1-2 objects are covered at a time), a significant breakthrough lies ahead.

By distribution of attention we mean a property that allows us to perceive several objects at the same moment with approximately the same attention. For example, when a child is listening to a story and looking at an illustration for it, it makes no sense to make a comment so that he does not dangle his legs. A younger preschooler cannot control so many objects at the same time. But for older children, it is quite possible for older children to take into account and fulfill such a requirement, since they are able to distribute attention between diverse objects.

Switching attention provides a transition from the perception of one object or phenomenon to another. It would seem that this property is easy for a child to use, since he just needs to shift his attention to another object. However, a preschooler switches easily if he has exhausted his interest in the primary object, but is unusually attracted to the second one. The more a child grows up, the more often he has to switch his attention at the request of an adult, and this is not always possible. The baby can already look at the book that his mother shows him, but his thoughts are still spinning around the robot with which he played a minute ago.

Stability is the ability of attention to remain on the same objects.

This property in preschool age is also closely related to the child’s interest. Therefore, children manage to maintain active attention in play and in creative activities that are attractive to them, but it is not easy to activate sustained attention where adults command.

Stability and switching of attention largely depend on the development of the volitional sphere of the preschooler. These properties need to be trained starting from the age of 6, since at this age the child is able to direct his attention to the specified object with a strong-willed effort and concentrate, despite distractions.