Different Types Of Attention Research Articles

The new town square: Twitter discourses about balconies during the 2020 lockdown in Spain

The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown in Spain during Spring 2020 resulted in a ban on most uses of public space, producing a social redefinition of not only public spaces, but also private spaces such as homes. This paper examines the discourses related to balconies that appeared at this time on Twitter (X), an intermediate microspace and hybrid between the public and private. The study uses data from tweets posted in Spain during the strictest phase of the lockdown (from 15 March to 1 May 2020). Based on a descriptive analytical approach – both quantitative and textual – the study applies text content analysis and natural language processing to identify and analyse the main topics of conversation related to the use of balconies. The study brought to light two primary and complementary results. Firstly, the balcony during the pandemic became a revitalized space in an exceptional situation, partially adapting to the most common practices characteristic of public space and thus reaffirming the importance of the existence of public spaces for citizen encounters. Secondly, the various uses of balconies received different types of attention and generated stronger or weaker interactions on social networks, demonstrating the complexity and diversity of relationships with public spaces.

Hierarchical Multi-Attention Transfer for Knowledge Distillation

Knowledge distillation (KD) is a powerful and widely applicable technique for the compression of deep learning models. The main idea of knowledge distillation is to transfer knowledge from a large teacher model to a small student model, where the attention mechanism has been intensively explored in regard to its great flexibility for managing different teacher-student architectures. However, existing attention-based methods usually transfer similar attention knowledge from the intermediate layers of deep neural networks, leaving the hierarchical structure of deep representation learning poorly investigated for knowledge distillation. In this paper, we propose a hierarchical multi-attention transfer framework (HMAT) , where different types of attention are utilized to transfer the knowledge at different levels of deep representation learning for knowledge distillation. Specifically, position-based and channel-based attention knowledge characterize the knowledge from low-level and high-level feature representations, respectively, and activation-based attention knowledge characterize the knowledge from both mid-level and high-level feature representations. Extensive experiments on three popular visual recognition tasks, image classification, image retrieval, and object detection, demonstrate that the proposed hierarchical multi-attention transfer or HMAT significantly outperforms recent state-of-the-art KD methods.

Identification of Effective Computerized Cognitive Rehabilitation Programs in Improving Attention in the Children and Adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Introduction: Computerized programs for brain empowerment with regular, intensive, and continuous cognitive exercises improve cognitive functions such as attention in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This review study aimed to identify effective computerized programs for improving attention in children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Method: This descriptive narrative review was done in 2018 through library review and searching keywords including "attention deficit hyperactivity disorder", "computerized cognitive rehabilitation programs", and "play therapy" in databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The results of this review were investigated through the semi - structured interview and classified based on the attention areas of children and adolescents with ADHD . Results: Based on the review, Caption Log, Pay Attention, Cogmed Working Memory, Memory GYM, Attention GYM, Brainware Safari, 8 Sciences' ACTIVATET, Lumosity, My Happy Neuron, Smart Driver, and educational packages such as Maghzine were effective programs to improve different types of attention (focused, divided, intermittent, continuous, and selective) in the ADHD children aged four years old and older . Conclusion: Considering the significant effects of computerized cognitive rehabilitation programs in empowering cognitive skills such as attention, their use as a complementary treatment in improving the quality of life of children and adolescents with ADHD is promising. However, it is suggested to evaluate such programs with larger samples, transfer their educational effects to daily life, and improve their quality by providing more components of such programs.

Happy and sad music acutely modulate different types of attention in older adults.

Of the three subtypes of attention outlined by the attentional subsystems model, alerting (vigilance or arousal needed for task completion) and executive control (the ability to inhibit distracting information while completing a goal) are susceptible to age-related decline, while orienting remains relatively stable. Yet, few studies have investigated strategies that may acutely maintain or promote attention in typically aging older adults. Music listening may be one potential strategy for attentional maintenance as past research shows that listening to happy music characterized by a fast tempo and major mode increases cognitive task performance, likely by increasing cognitive arousal. The present study sought to investigate whether listening to happy music (fast tempo, major mode) impacts alerting, orienting, and executive control attention in 57 middle and older-aged adults (M = 61.09 years, SD = 7.16). Participants completed the Attention Network Test (ANT) before and after listening to music rated as happy or sad (slow tempo, minor mode), or no music (i.e., silence) for 10 min. Our results demonstrate that happy music increased alerting attention, particularly when relevant and irrelevant information conflicted within a trial. Contrary to what was predicted, sad music modulated executive control performance. Overall, our findings indicate that music written in the major mode with a fast tempo (happy) and minor mode with a slow tempo (sad) modulate different aspects of attention in the short-term.

Working Memory Capacity Depends on Attention Control, but Not Selective Attention.

Working memory and attention are interrelated constructs that are sometimes even considered indistinguishable. Since attention is not a uniform construct, it is possible that different types of attention affect working memory capacity differently. To clarify this issue, we investigated the relationship between working memory capacity and various components of attention. The sample consisted of 136 healthy adult participants aged 18 to 37 years (M = 20.58, SD = 2.74). Participants performed tasks typically used to assess working memory (operation span, change detection, simple digit span, and adaptive digit span tasks), selective attention (visual search task), and attention control (Stroop and antisaccade tasks). We tested several models with working memory and attention, either as a unitary factor or being divided into selective attention and attention control factors. A confirmatory factor analysis showed that the model with three latent variables-working memory capacity, attention control, and selective attention-fit the data best. Results showed that working memory and attention are distinct but correlated constructs: working memory capacity was only related to attention control, whereas attention control was related to both constructs. We propose that differences in working memory capacity are determined only by the ability to maintain attention on the task, while differences in the ability to filter out non-salient distractors are not related to working memory capacity.

Criterion-Related Validation of a Music-Based Attention Assessment for Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury

The music-based attention assessment (MAA) is a melody contour identification task that evaluates different types of attention. Previous studies have examined the psychometric and physiological validity of the MAA across various age groups in clinical and typical populations. The purpose of this study was to confirm the MAA's criterion validity in individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to correlate this with standardized neuropsychological measurements. The MAA and various neurocognitive tests (i.e., the Wechsler adult intelligence scale DST, Delis-Kaplan executive functioning scale color-word interference test, and Conner's continuous performance test) were administered to 38 patients within two weeks prior to or post to the MAA administration. Significant correlations between MAA and neurocognitive batteries were found, indicating the potential of MAA as a valid measure of different types of attention deficits. An additional multiple regression analysis revealed that MAA was a significant factor in predicting attention ability.

The Assessment of Different Types of Attention in Children Using a Computerized Test Battery

We designed a computerized test battery that was used to assess sustained, selective and divided attention in children aged 8 vs. 9 years. A group of children aged 8.34 ± 0.48 years (n = 30, 14 male, 16 female) and a group of children aged 9.33 ± 0.51 years (n = 42, 21 male, 21 female) participated in the study. The test battery included one simple reaction time task, two divided attention tasks, two sustained attention tasks, and one selective attention task. The analysis of task performance revealed age-related difference in the efficiency of sustained attention: the reactions of 9-year-old children to target stimuli were significantly faster than the reactions of 8-year-old children. The computerized battery showed sensitivity to different aspects of attention and might become a useful tool for the neuropsychological assessment of attention in children with and without developmental disorders.

The Multifaceted Nature of Bilingualism and Attention.

Attention has recently been proposed as the mechanism underlying the cognitive effects associated with bilingualism. However, similar to bilingualism, the term attention is complex, dynamic, and can vary from one activity to another. Throughout our daily lives, we use different types of attention that differ in complexity: sustained attention, selective attention, alternating attention, divided attention, and disengagement of attention. The present paper is a focused review summarizing the results from studies that explore the link between bilingualism and attention. For each level of attention, a brief overview of relevant theoretical models will be discussed along with a spotlight on paradigms and tasks used to measure these forms of attention. The findings illustrate that different types and levels of attention are modified by the variety of bilingual experiences. Future studies wishing to examine the effects of bilingualism on attention are encouraged to embrace the complexity and diversity of both constructs rather than making global claims about bilingualism and attention.

Rice Mapping Using a BiLSTM-Attention Model from Multitemporal Sentinel-1 Data

Timely and accurate rice distribution information is needed to ensure the sustainable development of food production and food security. With its unique advantages, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) can monitor the rice distribution in tropical and subtropical areas under any type of weather condition. This study proposes an accurate rice extraction and mapping framework that can solve the issues of low sample production efficiency and fragmented rice plots when prior information on rice distribution is insufficient. The experiment was carried out using multitemporal Sentinel-1A Data in Zhanjiang, China. First, the temporal characteristic map was used for the visualization of rice distribution to improve the efficiency of rice sample production. Second, rice classification was carried out based on the BiLSTM-Attention model, which focuses on learning the key information of rice and non-rice in the backscattering coefficient curve and gives different types of attention to rice and non-rice features. Finally, the rice classification results were optimized based on the high-precision global land cover classification map. The experimental results showed that the classification accuracy of the proposed framework on the test dataset was 0.9351, the kappa coefficient was 0.8703, and the extracted plots maintained good integrity. Compared with the statistical data, the consistency reached 94.6%. Therefore, the framework proposed in this study can be used to extract rice distribution information accurately and efficiently.

Effect of Cognitive Rehabilitation Combined With Physical Exercise on Sustained, Selective, and Alternating attention in School-aged Girls Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Objectives: Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental disorders in childhood. This study aims to assess the effect of cognitive rehabilitation combined with physical exercise on sustained, selective and alternating attention in ADHD children. Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study with a Pre-test/posttest design. The study population consists of all primary school girls with ADHD in Yazd, Iran. Of these, 40 aged 9-12 years were selected and randomly divided into four groups of cognitive rehabilitation, physical exercise, combined (exercise + rehabilitation), and control. The Conners’ Teacher Rating Scale (CTRS) was used for initial assessment of children, Goodenough- Harris Drawing Test (GHDT) to measure intelligence score, Integrated Visual and Auditory-Continuous Performance Test (IVA-CPT) to assess sustained attention, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) to measure alternating attention, and Stroop test to measure selective attention. For cognitive rehabilitation, My Brain application was used. The intervention was presented at 16 sessions, each for 60 minutes. Posttest assessment was performed 24 and 72 hours after the end of intervention. ANCOVA was used for data analysis. All analyses were performed in SPSS v. 20, considering a significance level of P<0.05. Results: The results of ANCOVA showed that the combined group had significantly lower errors in sustained, selective and alternating attention tests compared to other groups. In the omission response variable, the mean score of the children in the combined group was significantly lower than in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Cognitive rehabilitation combined with physical exercises can improve different types of attention in children with ADHD.

Multi-level Motion Attention for Human Motion Prediction

Human motion prediction aims to forecast future human poses given a historical motion. Whether based on recurrent or feed-forward neural networks, existing learning based methods fail to model the observation that human motion tends to repeat itself, even for complex sports actions and cooking activities. Here, we introduce an attention based feed-forward network that explicitly leverages this observation. In particular, instead of modeling frame-wise attention via pose similarity, we propose to extract motion attention to capture the similarity between the current motion context and the historical motion sub-sequences. In this context, we study the use of different types of attention, computed at joint, body part, and full pose levels. Aggregating the relevant past motions and processing the result with a graph convolutional network allows us to effectively exploit motion patterns from the long-term history to predict the future poses. Our experiments on Human3.6M, AMASS and 3DPW validate the benefits of our approach for both periodical and non-periodical actions. Thanks to our attention model, it yields state-of-the-art results on all three datasets. Our code is available at https://github.com/wei-mao-2019/HisRepItself .

Preference for and reinforcing efficacy of different types of attention in preschool children

It is unknown whether and to what extent common types of attention delivered in early childhood environments are preferred by and function as reinforcers for young children. We assessed children's preference for commonly delivered types of attention across 31 preschool-aged participants (Experiment 1). Next, we conducted a reinforcer assessment (Experiment 2) and a progressive-ratio assessment (Experiment 3) to (a) validate the results of the preference assessment and (b) determine the relative reinforcing efficacy of each type of attention. Results of Experiment 1 showed that most participants preferred conversation or physical interaction. Results of Experiment 2 validated the results of Experiment 1 showing preferred types of attention were more likely to function as reinforcers. Finally, although some types of attention functioned as reinforcers, results of Experiment 3 indicated these reinforcers only maintained responding under relatively dense schedules of reinforcement. Clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed.

The effects of combined exposure to road traffic noise and whole body vibration on types of attention among men.

Background: Noise and vibration are considered as harmful physical agents in the environment which have adverse effects on cognitive performance. One of the occupations at risk is driving, where there is a possibility of simultaneous exposure to road traffic noise and whole body vibration (WBV) transferred through the vehicle. This study aims to assess the effects of single and combined exposure to road traffic noise and WBV on different types of attention in men. Methods: The experiment was conducted on 24 men in 4 steps, executed on each participant inside an acoustic room. After recording a number of various attention scores at background conditions (27 dBA noise, no vibration) the participants were given single and combined exposure to noise levels at 55 and 85 dBA and vibration magnitude of 0.65 and 0.95 m/s2 r.m.s. Results: As for combined exposure to noise and vibration, increasing vibration acceleration and noise levels at the same time compared to background condition caused a rise in the score of all visual attention types among groups exposed to low vibration acceleration and those exposed to medium acceleration and low noise. Nevertheless, when noise level and vibration acceleration is increased at the same time compared to background, auditory attention type scores mostly fell among groups with similar vibration accelerations. Conclusions:Overall, single and combined exposure to environmental stressors under investigation had a predominantly negative effect on auditory attention while the effects on visual attention were inconclusive. Definitive conclusions however require further systematic and comprehensive experiments.

Distinct aspects of the early environment contribute to associative memory, cued attention, and memory-guided attention: Implications for academic achievement

Childhood socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with numerous aspects of cognitive development and disparities in academic achievement. The specific environmental factors that contribute to these disparities remain poorly understood. We used observational methods to characterize three aspects of the early environment that may contribute to SES-related differences in cognitive development: violence exposure, cognitive stimulation, and quality of the physical environment. We evaluated the associations of these environmental characteristics with associative memory, cued attention, and memory-guided attention in a sample of 101 children aged 60–75 months. We further investigated whether these specific cognitive abilities mediated the association between SES and academic achievement 18 months later. Violence exposure was specifically associated with poor associative memory, but not cued attention or memory-guided attention. Cognitive stimulation and higher quality physical environment were positively associated with cued attention accuracy, but not after adjusting for all other environmental variables. The quality of the physical environment was associated with memory-guided attention accuracy. Of the cognitive abilities examined, only memory-guided attention contributed to SES-related differences in academic achievement. These findings suggest specificity in how particular aspects of early environmental experience scaffold different types of attention and memory subserved by distinct neural circuits and shed light on a novel cognitive-developmental mechanism underlying SES-related disparities in academic achievement.

Can meditation improve attention in older adults? Study protocol for a 4-week proof-of-concept intervention

BackgroundFalls are a major health care concern for our aging population. Previous research has identified impaired sustained attention as a risk factor for falls. Recently, meditation has been shown to improve different types of attention in various populations. However, there are no studies to date examining whether meditation training can improve sustained attention and mobility in older adults.MethodsWe are conducting a 4-week proof-of-concept meditation intervention. We will recruit community-dwelling older adults. Participants will be randomized into one of two groups: (1) meditation training or (2) music listening (control). All participants will complete three 20-min group sessions per week and will be encouraged to continue their practice independently on the remaining days each week. Our primary outcome measure is behavioral performance on the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART). Our secondary and tertiary outcomes include electroencephalograms (EEG) to assess attention and cognitive processing, mobility, and executive function.DiscussionOur proof-of-concept intervention aims to examine whether meditation training can improve sustained attention in older adults, who are known to be susceptible to falls. Importantly, our research has the potential to inform future clinical trials aimed at improving mobility and reducing falls risk in our aging population.Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov ID NCT03417635.

Best Measures of Attention To Creative Tactics in TV Advertising

ABSTRACT Attracting attention is a common goal for advertisers, but there is limited knowledge about how best to measure attention. Measuring attention to advertising is a complex task because there are different types of attention, tapped by different measures, that likely are more or less sensitive to varied attention-getting creative devices. This study examines how scalable biometric measures—eye tracking, skin conductance, and heart rate—respond to 10 creative devices executed across more than 100 television advertisements with known in-market sales-effectiveness results. The study documents the relationship of different attention measures with level of attention and type of creative device.

A Comparative Study on Different Types of Attention in Abacus Users & Non Users

A Comparative Study on Different Types of Attention in Abacus Users & Non Users

Evaluating Attention, Socioemotional Factors and Anxiety in Secondary School Students in Murcia (Spain) Using the BAPNE® Method. Research Protocol

Abstract This article aims to set out the research protocol being used at IES Diego Tortosa, a secondary school in Cieza in the region of Murcia (Spain), in a project looking at attention and socioemotional factors. The project will be completed in early 2017. For this research project, a range of tests approved in Spain are being used. These include: self-concept tests (AF-5), social skills tests (EHS), psychometric testing (SOCIOMET), the STAI anxiety test, and the D2 test to assess sustained attention. The aim is to demonstrate the benefits of the BAPNE® Method as a teaching and therapeutic resource in the secondary classroom. Body percussion is an excellent resource for secondary education if the BAPNE® Method is used, because this method stimulates the different types of attention ( Sohlberg & Mateer, 1987 ,1989). The methodology used makes students work in groups in a cooperative manner, without hierarchies, which leads to an improvement in their behaviour and motivation. This form of working can also have positive effects on their achievement in other subjects, leading them to meet objectives and to achieve more. We aim to demonstrate a different form of education in which the student is the protagonist of their own development. BAPNE® helps to build a form of egalitarian education that improves the classroom atmosphere. We think a change in education is required in order to meet the needs of the young people of 21st century. As such, we will use the activities of the BAPNE® Method in the music classroom for specific reasons, sequencing them precisely.

The involvement of central attention in visual search is determined by task demands.

Attention, the mechanism by which a subset of sensory inputs is prioritized over others, operates at multiple processing stages. Specifically, attention enhances weak sensory signal at the perceptual stage, while it serves to select appropriate responses or consolidate sensory representations into short-term memory at the central stage. This study investigated the independence and interaction between perceptual and central attention. To do so, I used a dual-task paradigm, pairing a four-alternative choice task with a visual search task. The results showed that central attention for response selection was engaged in perceptual processing for visual search when the number of search items increased, thereby increasing the demand for serial allocation of focal attention. By contrast, central attention and perceptual attention remained independent as far as the demand for serial shifting of focal attention remained constant; decreasing stimulus contrast or increasing the set size of a parallel search did not evoke the involvement of central attention in visual search. These results suggest that the nature of concurrent visual search process plays a crucial role in the functional interaction between two different types of attention.

Neurolinguistic Programming and the Relationship between Attention and Anxiety in Alpine Skiing Juniors

Problem statement: This study aims to show the correlation between anxiety and emotional distress and the different types of attention in juniors’ ski performance, age 11 to 15 years, from Romania. This experimental study is part of a large research on introducing the neurolinguistic programming techniques in training, as well as mental training techniques and its effects, to increase the performance. PurposeWe studied the rapport and correlation between focusing the attention and anxiety. The main objective of mental training through neurolinguistic techniques is to support individual and group sporting activities in any situation (e.g., workout or competition) to increase performance capacity. We also wantedto finddataprocessinggenderdifferences, which werecalculated utilizingthe t-testfor independent samples. MethodsWe applied the following tests in the competition days in control group and experimental group: EMAS for testing the anxiety, PDE for emotional distress, MA for focusing the attention, AP2 for observational sense, and AD for distributive attention. The statistical analysisof datawas performed utilizing SPSS.Findings and results: The results show the profile of all the skiers who participated innational championshipsports clubsin terms ofspecificanxiety,emotional distress, and variousmanifestations ofattention. These results willdetermine howwe will applythe mental trainingtechniquesforathletes in experimental groups,respectivelyneurolinguisticprogrammingspecific toeach sport. It will also help us toapplycertain techniquesdifferentlyby gender.