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Attention is the ability to focus on a specific task without being distracted. Attention helps students become better readers and writers because we all perform best when we focus on and thoughtfully practice our developing skills. Importantly, attentional control often varies based on the context, including interest in the topic, task difficulty, and task duration.
Attention is often defined by the type of stimuli being focused on and how it is processed: while Visual Attention refers to focusing on information you see, Auditory Attention refers to focusing on information you hear. In addition, there are different sub-types of visual and auditory Attention, and individuals may show stronger or weaker abilities among these types of Attention, including:
Attending to two or more media activities at once, or media multi-tasking, is becoming more common with the increase in technology, especially in adolescents. Though research is limited, findings suggest that adolescents who report having difficulty with Attention may multi-task more often. In addition, more frequent media multi-tasking in early adolescence may lead to increased Attention problems. ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a learning disorder that is mulit-faceted and often presents with differential patterns of attentional control. These behaviors can manifest differently for different individuals and over time, including restless (hyperactive) or inattentive behavior.