Articles tagged with Attention
Researchers at Newcastle University have discovered a molecular mechanism that enhances attention and reduces cognitive noise in the brain. By manipulating glutamate coupling to NMDA receptors, they improved perceptual abilities and increased the fidelity of neural responses.
A recent study found that children as young as six years old struggle to read simple bar graphs when they contain pictures, instead focusing on the images rather than their heights. This can lead to incorrect answers and hinder learning. The researchers recommend keeping instructional materials simple to avoid such distractions.
Researchers at WSU will study the effects of fatigue on attention and decision-making to improve 24-hour operations and safety. The study aims to develop an individualized fatigue prediction model and identify genetic markers that explain person-to-person differences in responding to fatigue.
Researchers at Vanderbilt University developed a system to help children with autism learn joint attention, a basic social skill. The humanoid robot NAO was found to be effective in improving attention and following instructions, suggesting robots could play a crucial role in responding to the growing number of autism diagnoses.
A new study suggests that mindfulness can help overcome barriers to self-knowledge, including blind spots in thinking, feeling, and behaving. By increasing bodily awareness, mindfulness may reduce emotional reactivity and improve our ability to see ourselves more accurately.
A study published in Neurology found that people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who experience memory and attention issues have significant damage to brain areas critical for cognitive functions. This discovery has important implications for the diagnosis and treatment of MS-related cognitive problems.
A leading Canadian researcher found that brain damage from concussions can persist for decades in athletes, causing attention and memory problems. Dr. Maryse Lassonde's study shows that brain waves remain abnormal for two years after a concussion and atrophy occurs in the motor pathways of the brain.
Researchers found that emotionally charged words on billboards can provoke an emotional response, distracting drivers and decreasing traveling speed. Positive connotations sped up drivers' responses, while negative words led to drifting and veering from the lane.
New research sheds light on the complexities of learning problems in neurofibromatosis 1 patients. The study found that both increased RAS function and reduced dopamine levels contribute to cognitive dysfunction in individuals with NF1. Developing personalized therapies is now a priority.
A new study suggests that the University of Michigan Health System's (UMHS) approach to medical errors, known as the "Michigan Model," has helped reduce malpractice claims and costs. The model focuses on compensating patients quickly and fairly, supporting clinical staff, and reducing patient injuries by learning from experiences.
A study published in Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience found that emotion in voices enhances initial word recognition, but does not improve long-term memory. The researchers discovered that emotionally intoned speech can lead to the acquisition of emotional value, making words more negatively charged in the mind.
Researchers found that making small changes to an ad over repeated exposures can increase its effectiveness. Subtle location changes in brand logos or product depictions can make a significant impact even with limited consumer attention.
Researchers reviewing Cogmed's claims found limited evidence supporting improved working memory and addressing underachievement. The debate raises concerns about the program's efficacy, sparking a nuanced discussion among experts.
A study defines boredom as an aversive state caused by difficulty paying attention to internal or external information required for engaging satisfying activities. The researchers hope to develop new strategies to ease the problems of boredom and address potential dangers associated with cognitive errors.
A new study found that fetuses exposed to heavy maternal drinking required more trials to habituate and exhibited greater variability in test performance. This suggests that maternal drinking during pregnancy can damage the earliest fetal learning abilities, leading to impaired habituation and stability of performance.
A new study published in Neurology says Gingko biloba does not improve cognitive performance in people with multiple sclerosis. The research followed up on earlier findings that suggested there may be some benefit, but found no cognitive benefits to using the supplement.
A new study found that elderly subjects who underwent temporal training improved not only their rate of processing auditory information but also other cognitive areas such as attention and short-term memory. The results were long-lasting, with effects confirmed 18 months after the training.
Women who work full-time after having children are healthier at age 40 than those who stay at home or have intermittent employment. Working provides a sense of purpose and autonomy, leading to better mental and physical health. Conversely, persistent unemployment is linked to greater stress and poor health outcomes.
A recent study by Ellen Langer found that first-time mothers who practice mindfulness during pregnancy report better well-being, positive feelings, and lower emotional distress. The research suggests that mindfulness can have a positive impact on health and happiness beyond just the mother's own well-being.
Research on prospective memory reveals that failures occur when we form intentions but lose focus due to interruptions or multitasking. Habital tasks can also lead to implicit intentions, making it harder to remember them. To defend against these failures, professionals use memory tools like checklists and implementation intentions.
Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch will study hospital readmissions for high-volume, high-cost patients receiving post-acute inpatient rehabilitation services. The goal is to identify factors associated with readmissions and improve discharge planning.
A new article highlights the importance of introspection and reflection in learning, socioemotional functioning, and overall well-being. Research on the brain's default mode network reveals that individual differences in brain activity during rest are correlated with self-awareness, moral judgment, and memory consolidation.
A Michigan State University study found that only 50% of patients looked directly at the warning labels, highlighting the need for redesign. Researchers suggest moving warnings to the main label or repositioning them for better visibility, especially for older patients who take multiple medications daily.
A study by UT Dallas researchers found that Facebook profile pictures reflect individual preferences but also unconscious cultural biases. Westerners tend to focus on central faces, while East Asians emphasize context and surroundings.
Researchers found that babies seek out situations with just the right amount of surprise or complexity to capture their attention. The findings suggest that babies are active information seekers who can predict what happens next based on previous observations.
A new study found that treating childhood OSA normalizes brain disturbances responsible for attention and executive function. Brain imaging showed improvements in verbal memory, attention, and frontal cortex metabolites after treatment.
A study by Marc Berman found that nature walks improved memory performance after a walk in nature, compared to an urban environment. Participants showed a 16 percent increase in attention and working memory, but no significant improvement in depressive mood.
Research at Northwestern University reveals that bilingualism sharpens the brain's ability to encode basic sound patterns and improve attention. Bilingual speakers outperform monolingual peers in processing complex sounds under noisy conditions.
Research highlights the impact of inadequate sleep on pilots' cognitive performance, mood, and piloting skills. The author proposes fatigue prediction models, sleep hygiene education, and wearable technologies to mitigate the risks of pilot fatigue.
Research shows that stress changes how people weigh risk and reward, leading to a greater emphasis on the upside of possible outcomes. This can impact decision-making in various areas, including job choices and addiction. Additionally, stress affects how men and women perceive risk differently.
A study published by Dr. Linda Pagani found that kindergarten attentiveness skills accurately predict later work-oriented behavior, with children who are well-engaged in the classroom exhibiting better self-control, confidence, and ability to follow directions.
A new study published in Perspectives on Psychological Science explores the use of pupilometry, a technique measuring pupil diameter, to gain insights into human behavior. By analyzing changes in pupil size, researchers can identify what people are paying attention to, shedding light on brain function and cognitive processes.
A physical activity program has been shown to improve behavioral scores in children with ADHD, as observed by both parents and teachers. The study suggests that structured group physical activity can have positive effects on behavior in various settings of the child's life.
Consumers tend to favor brands that appear on their own Facebook pages, even if they don't consciously notice it. This phenomenon, known as implicit self-referencing, is linked to high self-esteem and positive associations with one's online identity.
A new study published in Current Directions in Psychological Science warns that evolutionary tradeoffs limit human cognitive abilities. Research suggests that increasing intelligence comes with problems, such as increased disease risk, and there may be an upper limit to how smart humans can get.
Research by Thomas Hills and Ralph Hertwig suggests that there is an upper limit to cognitive enhancements, leading to potential drawbacks such as autism, synaesthesia, or anxiety. The study found that 'supermind' traits come with trade-offs, making a highly-evolved brain unlikely.
A study from the University of Missouri found that abused children who control their emotions, focus on daily skills, and stay motivated can achieve academic success. The research analyzed math and reading scores of 702 children aged 6 to 10 and discovered that daily living skills are key to overcoming past trauma.
New research suggests that faster cerebral cortex growth in infancy is linked to better cognitive abilities in children born prematurely. A study of 82 preterm infants found that higher rates of brain growth were associated with improved scores on intelligence tests and motor skills.
Researchers trained 11-month-old infants to improve their concentration skills, leading to enhanced cognitive abilities in unrelated tasks. This early training may have significant implications for improving academic success, particularly for children at risk of poor outcomes.
Researchers found that transitional cues significantly improve children's ability to switch tasks on their own. Providing reminders, such as auditory cues or visual signals, can help kids adapt to changes in rules or requirements.
A study investigated the role of uncertainty in human associative learning, finding that people pay more attention to unfamiliar cues. The researchers discovered that when a cue's reliability is uncertain, it becomes more predictive and leads to faster learning.
Researchers found that people's brains become distracted by previously associated rewarding objects, such as money, even when they're not important in the task. This effect persists for weeks and is linked to impulsivity levels.
A new study published in Psychological Science found that attention and awareness are distinct mental states. The researchers used the phenomenon of visual pop-out to demonstrate that people can pay attention to a stimulus without being aware of it, especially when distracted.
Children with psychopathic tendencies don't respond quickly to fearful faces, suggesting a deeper issue with processing threats. This suggests that addressing callous unemotionality may be more effective than teaching attention to fearful faces.
A study by University of Utah psychologists found that individuals with lower working memory capacity are more prone to inattention blindness, missing a person in a gorilla suit walking across the screen. This suggests that people with better control over their attention may be more likely to notice unexpected events.
A study found that childhood cancer survivors suffer from sleep problems and fatigue, negatively impacting their attention and memory. Addressing sleep hygiene may help improve cognitive health in these individuals.
Research from the University of Toronto Scarborough found that traditional problem-focused approaches to work-life balance can cause more problems due to stress and exhaustion. In contrast, avoiding conflicts by taking breaks can lead to reduced conflict between life roles and improved satisfaction with life.
A team of researchers has successfully programmed a robot to understand when it gains a human's attention and when it falls short. Using social cues, the robot achieves close to 80% accuracy in detecting whether someone is paying attention or ignoring it. The findings could pave the way for robots to engage with humans more effectively.
Researchers found that left-handed individuals showed no asymmetry in hand preference, suggesting a possible explanation: hemispheric specialisation for speech and language. Right-handed participants had trouble with bimanual tasks when using their right hand, indicating a bias towards choosing the correct hand.
Researchers found that hand-raised wolves can follow a gaze around an obstacle, indicating a more cognitively advanced task than previously observed. The wolves' ability to detour an obstacle suggests that gaze following is not exclusive to primates and corvids.
A recent study by Queen's University researcher Niko Troje reveals that the way people perceive the Silhouette Illusion is not determined by personality or brain type. Instead, the viewer's angle of view plays a crucial role in shaping their perception of the spinning woman.
Researchers found that liberals consistently move their attention in response to gaze cues, while conservatives do not. This suggests that liberals tend to be more responsive to others and are influenced by social interaction, whereas conservatives value personal autonomy and are less likely to be swayed by external cues.
Toddlers who played with a broader array of objects learned new words twice as fast as those who played with similar objects. They also developed the ability to generalize knowledge and learn names of new objects by focusing on material rather than shape.
Research reveals that architecture can influence people's ability to navigate buildings, with some designs favoring spatial skills over others. A study suggests strategies for improving wayfinding in complex environments.
Adults with insecure attachment styles may have difficulties regulating emotions, leading to increased risk for mental health problems. Cultural differences in the endowment effect suggest that independence and self-enhancement values influence giving up possessions.
A new study found that playing white noise in class can improve the memory of schoolchildren with difficulties in paying attention. The researchers discovered a significant improvement in performance for inattentive children and a decline in performance for attentive ones as noise levels increased.
A study by Concordia University researchers found that high estrogen levels are associated with an inability to pay attention and learn in female rodents. Human females experience similar difficulties during ovulation, suggesting a direct link between estrogen and cognitive function.
Researchers at the University of Granada identified different effects of nervous disposition and anxious moments on attention processes. The study found that high trait anxiety values resulted in deficient attentional performance, while high state anxiety led to overfunctioning of alerting and orienting networks.
A study published in Psychological Science found that when the mind wanders, people blink more, setting up a 'tiny physical barrier' to prevent external information from entering the brain. The researchers suggest that this blinking behavior is an embodiment of mind-wandering, highlighting the interconnectedness of the body and mind.
A British study found that nearly two-thirds of patients were unaware they had a minor stroke and over one-third delayed seeking medical attention for more than 24 hours. The study suggests a lack of public awareness about recognizing the signs of a minor stroke, with people from all demographics showing similar lack of knowledge.