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Cause And Effect On Attention During College

Decent Essays

Learning is the process of memorization, integration and application of new information and concepts. Attention is the process of prioritizing and applying information and concepts. The end dynamic of these two processes involves distribution of energy, priorities, and decision making once information is absorbed. All of us, at one point, or many, in our lives, have been told to “pay attention.” Distractions easily divert our focus, taking our concentration to conversations across the room, or to a passing train out the window, or to a spot on a speaker’s collar. Attention effects the way we learn and effects of college life. It can have negative effects and positive effects on the way we can be successful throughout college.
Most professors confront the reality that student attention wanders in class. They can be seen nodding off, sleeping, gazing distractedly at some point other than the front of the room, texting, or working on something for another class. It’s a problem, and one that teachers often find hard not to take personally. Dealing with the emotional reaction engendered by inattention is easier when it’s more fully understood, and here’s an example that illustrates why. At the opposite extreme, there’s the college student who listens to music with the television running in the background, friends talking loudly, e-mail scrolling on a laptop. Yet the student is able to hyper-focus, or “channel” her attention on a history textbook to study for a test. These

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