Attention is a mental cognitive process aimed at reflecting the mental properties, states of an object, which ensures the concentration of consciousness. Such a focus on certain subjects has a selective focus and contributes to the formation of an individual attitude towards them.

As objects attention can be both other persons and inanimate objects. Phenomena of nature, objects of art and science are also often in the field of attention of the subject. It must be admitted that only those objects that arouse significant interest in him, or are due to the social need for study, fall into the zone of human attention. The development of attention directly depends on such factors as the age of a person, the purposefulness of his aspirations, interest in the subject or phenomenon being studied, the regularity of performing special exercises.

Types of attention

involuntary attention

It is characterized by the absence of a conscious choice of a person. It occurs when an influencing stimulus appears, which makes you momentarily distract from everyday affairs and switch your mental energy. This type of attention is difficult to manage, since it is directly related to the internal attitudes of the individual. In other words, we are always attracted only by what is of significant interest, what excites and makes the feelings, the emotional sphere “move”.

The objects of involuntary attention can be: unexpected noise on the street or in the room, new person or a phenomenon that appeared before the eyes, any moving objects, the mental state of a person, an individual mood.

Involuntary attention is valuable for its immediacy and naturalness of occurrence, which always provides a lively emotional response. But, at the same time, it can distract a person from performing urgent tasks, solving significant problems.

As a rule, in preschool children, involuntary attention predominates. Educators of children's institutions, of course, will agree that their attention can only be attracted by bright interesting images and events. That is why classes in kindergarten so replete with beautiful characters, attractive tasks, huge scope for imagination and creativity.

Arbitrary attention

It is characterized by conscious retention of concentration on the object. Arbitrary attention begins when motivation appears, that is, a person understands and consciously focuses his attention on something. Stability and perseverance are its essential attributes. In order for the necessary action to be performed, a person is required to make an effort of will, come into a state of tension, and activate mental activity.

For example, a student before an exam tries his best to focus on the material being studied. And even if he is not entirely interested in what he will have to tell the teacher, his attention is maintained due to serious motivation. The need to close the semester, to come home as soon as possible, sometimes adds a powerful incentive in order to stretch a little, put aside all entertainment and travel.

However, it should be remembered that prolonged concentration of voluntary attention leads to a state of fatigue, even severe overwork. Therefore, between serious intellectual work, it is recommended to take reasonable breaks: go outside to breathe fresh air, make simple physical exercise, charging. But you don’t need to read books on abstract topics: the head will not have time to rest, in addition, the presence of excess information can provoke further unwillingness to return to business. It has been noticed that a strong interest induces activity, activates the work of the brain, and this can and should be strived for.

Post-voluntary attention

It is characterized by the absence of tension in the subject of activity when performing a task. In this case, the motivation and desire to achieve a specific goal is strong enough. This type of attention differs from the previous one in that internal motivation prevails over external. That is, a person, his consciousness is guided not by social necessity, but by an individual need for action. Such attention has a very productive effect on any activity, gives significant results.

Basic properties of attention

The properties of attention in psychology are a number of significant characteristics that are closely related to the components of the activity of the individual.

• Concentration- this is a deliberate focus on the object of activity. Attention retention occurs due to strong motivation and the desire of the subject to perform the action as best as possible. The intensity of concentration on the subject of interest is controlled by the consciousness of the individual. If the concentration is high enough, then the result will not be long in coming. On average, without a break, a person can focus attention for 30 to 40 minutes, but a lot can be done during this time. It should be remembered that when working at a computer, you should take short breaks of 5 to 10 minutes for yourself to rest your eyes.
• Volume is the number of objects that consciousness can hold simultaneously in its field of vision. In other words, the volume is measured in the mutual ratio of objects and the degree of stability of attention to them. If a person is capable enough for a long time maintain focus on objects and their number is large, then we can talk about a high amount of attention.
• Sustainability. Stability is the ability to keep attention on one object for a long time and not switch to another. If there was a distraction, then they usually talk about lability. Sustainability of attention is characterized by the ability to discover new things in familiar things: to discover relationships and aspects that were not previously noticed and not studied, to see prospects for further development and movement.
• switchability. Switchability is a meaningful purposeful change in the direction of the focus of attention. This property is characterized by the conditionality of external circumstances or phenomena. If the switching of attention does not occur under the influence of a more significant object and does not differ in special intentionality, then one speaks of simple distractibility. It must be admitted that it is difficult to switch attention from one object to another due to strong concentration. Then it even happens that a person moves on to another activity, but mentally continues to concentrate on the previous one: he thinks over the details, analyzes, and emotionally worries. Switching attention is needed to relax after intense mental work, to be included in new activity.
• Distribution. Distribution is the ability of consciousness to simultaneously focus attention on several objects that are approximately in the same position in terms of importance. The ratio of objects among themselves, of course, has an impact on how this distribution occurs: the transition from one object to another. At the same time, a person often experiences a state of fatigue, caused by the need to be in one focus point to constantly remember about other existing ones.

Features of the development of attention

The development of human attention is necessarily associated with the ability to focus on one or more objects for a certain period of time without any distraction. This is not as easy as it might seem at first glance. After all, in order to focus on something, you need to be sufficiently interested in your business. So, for the development of involuntary attention, only an interesting object is required, on which one could focus the gaze. Arbitrary attention, however, requires a serious approach: purposefulness of actions, strong-willed effort, the ability to control one's feelings in order to prevent distraction at the most inopportune moment are needed. Post-voluntary attention is the most productive of all, as it does not require overcoming and additional efforts.

Attention Development Methods

At the moment, there are a variety of techniques for developing attention that allow you to achieve high results and learn how to control attention.

Development of concentration

It is recommended to choose an object for observation, and for a certain period of time try to focus your attention on it. Moreover, the simpler this subject, the better. For example, you can put a book on the table and imagine what it is written about, what are the main characters. One can only think of a book as an object made of paper and cardboard, imagine how many trees it took to make it. In the end, you can just pay attention to its color and shape. Which direction to choose is up to you. This exercise perfectly trains the focus of attention itself, allows you to develop the duration of concentration on one object.

If you wish, you can try to practice holding two or more objects in your field of vision. Then, to all of the above, it is necessary to add the development of the ability to switch attention from one object to another, memorizing and noting the significant features of each of them.

Development of visual attention

Exercises should be aimed at expanding the ability of the individual to focus on the object. For example, you can put an object in front and set yourself the task of looking at it for 3 to 5 minutes, highlighting as many details as possible. First, you will begin to develop a general idea of ​​​​the subject: its color and shape, size and height. However, gradually, the more you concentrate, the more clearly new details will begin to appear: small details, minor adaptations, etc. They, too, must be seen and noted to yourself.

Development of auditory attention

To improve this type of attention, you need to set yourself the goal of no more than ten minutes to concentrate on sounding voice. It is best if it is meaningful human speech, however, if you want to relax, you can include birdsong here or any melody that meets the requirements of relaxing music.

If human speech sounds, while listening, it is important to note the speed with which the lecturer speaks, the degree of emotionality of the presentation of the material, the subjective usefulness of the information. It is also quite acceptable to listen to fairy tales, stories in the recording, and then try to remember and reproduce their content. In the case of listening to music, it is important to capture the levels of vibration of the sound wave, try to "connect" to the reproduced emotions and imagine the details of something.

How to manage attention?

Many people who want to increase their level of attention face constant difficulties. Some may not be able to concentrate on the details, others have difficulty with when to perceive the subject as a whole. In this case, I would like to advise you to train at different facilities in all directions and do it every day. Agree, it’s not difficult to spend 5-10 minutes a day working on yourself.

Thus, the problems of developing attention are quite multifaceted and deep. It is impossible to consider this type of cognitive processes only as a component of activity. We must also remember that we always need attention in Everyday life Therefore, it is important to be able to focus on simple things, to notice even the smallest details.

According to their origin and methods of implementation, two main types of attention are usually distinguished: involuntary and voluntary.

Involuntary attention, the most simple and genetically original, is also called passive, forced, since it arises and is maintained regardless of the goals facing the person. Activity captures a person in these cases by itself, due to its fascination or surprise. A person involuntarily gives himself to the objects, phenomena, and activities that affect him. As soon as we hear interesting news on the radio, we involuntarily get distracted from work and listen. The emergence of involuntary attention is associated with various physical, psychophysiological and mental causes.

Unlike involuntary attention, voluntary attention is controlled by a conscious goal. It is closely connected with the will of a person and developed as a result of labor efforts, therefore it is also called strong-willed, active, deliberate. Having made a decision to engage in some activity, we carry out this decision, consciously directing our attention even to what we are not interested in at the moment, but what we need to do. The main function of voluntary attention is the active regulation of the course of mental processes. The reasons for voluntary attention are not biological in origin, but social: it does not mature in the body, but is formed in the child during his communication with adults. Despite the qualitative difference from involuntary attention, voluntary attention is also associated with feelings, with interests, with a person’s previous experience.

A number of psychologists distinguish another type of attention, which, like voluntary, is purposeful and requires initial volitional efforts, but then the person, as it were, “enters” the work: the content and process of the activity become interesting and significant, and not just its result. Such attention was called post-voluntary by N. F. Dobrynin. Take a student who is solving a difficult mathematical problem. Initially, she may not be attracted to him at all. He only takes it on because it needs to be done. The student has to bring himself back to the solution by constant effort. But now the decision has begun, the right course is being outlined, the task becomes more understandable. The student becomes more and more interested in her, she captures him, he ceases to be distracted: the task has become interesting for him. Attention from arbitrary has become, as it were, involuntary.

Post-voluntary attention is characterized by prolonged concentration, intense intensity of mental activity, and high labor productivity.

In domestic psychology, it is customary to single out following properties attention:

• - concentration;
• - volume;
• - distribution;
• - switching;
• - sustainability.

These properties can manifest themselves in all types of attention - in involuntary, voluntary and post-voluntary.

Concentration of attention, that is, the power of concentration on any interesting subject or activity, can be quite large for a student. Sometimes a minor fact or an object that is hardly noticeable to others causes a distraction in children. That is why it is easier for a teacher to attract the attention of children than to maintain it for a long time. Uniform appearance even interesting activity tiring the attention of students.

The amount of attention depends largely on the person's past experience. The younger student still has very little of it. Therefore, children are not very capable of keeping several objects in their field of vision at once.

The amount of attention is such a characteristic of it, which is determined by the amount of information that can simultaneously be stored in the sphere of increased attention (consciousness) of a person. The numerical characteristic of the average amount of attention of people is 5-7 units of information. It is usually established by means of an experience in which a person is presented for a very short time a large number of information. The fact that he manages to notice during this time characterizes his amount of attention. Since the experimental determination of the amount of attention is associated with short-term memorization, it is often identified with the amount of short-term memory.

Allocation of attention is the ability to perform two or more different activities while keeping your attention on them. M. N. Volokitina writes that in the first days after entering school, the attention of children focuses mainly on a narrow area. The distribution of attention among younger schoolchildren is still insufficiently developed. If a student, for example, finds a solution to a problem, then, as a rule, he is not able to monitor his behavior: he jumps up from his seat, raises his hand high, forgetting that this should not be done.

The ability to distribute attention develops gradually, with age. Younger students do not distribute attention well, they still do not know how to do this, they do not have experience, automatic skills, so they should not be asked to do two things at the same time or, when doing one thing, divert the child's attention to another. But it is necessary to promote the development of this skill.

The same can be said about switching attention from one subject to another. Children get used to quickly switch from leisure to work and from one activity to another. Switching attention is understood as its transfer from one object to another, from one type of activity to another. This characteristic human attention is manifested in the speed with which he can transfer his attention from one object to another, and such a transfer can be both involuntary and arbitrary. In the first case, the individual involuntarily transfers his attention to something that accidentally interested him, and in the second - consciously, by an effort of will, forces himself to focus on some object that is not even very interesting in itself. Switching attention, if it occurs on an involuntary basis, may indicate its instability, but such instability is not always a reason to consider it as negative quality. It often contributes to the temporary rest of the body, the analyzer, the preservation and restoration of working capacity. nervous system and the organism as a whole.

Attention is characterized by varying degrees of stability. Stability of attention is a long-term retention of attention on an object or some activity. We call steady attention such attention, which is capable of remaining uninterruptedly focused on one subject or on the same work for a long time.

The stability of attention in younger schoolchildren is weakly expressed and is present, as it were, in its opposite - instability. The instability of attention is explained by the fact that in younger schoolchildren excitation prevails over inhibition. Their attention often switches from one object to another. Therefore, from the field of view of children, it is necessary to remove everything that is not related to the work in the lesson.

It should be noted that many shortcomings of attention disappear as a result of properly organized educational work. The concentration of schoolchildren becomes more stable if they understand the task, the purpose of the work they are doing.

Also, one of the reasons for the inattention, absent-mindedness of the child is the general poor health. Nervous, sickly children suffering from general exhaustion of the nervous system are inattentive. The cause of absent-mindedness may also be lack of sleep or non-compliance with the daily routine.

But also healthy children living in normal conditions may be inattentive. This may be due to indiscipline or lack of interest in learning. It may be that a child who is attentive to one kind of work is distracted during another. In this case, much depends on the orientation of the student and his interests.

Attention and distraction. Usually attention is opposed to absent-mindedness. In our language, distraction is often understood as a synonym for inattention. Remember the poem by S. Ya. Marshak “That’s how absent-minded”: “Instead of a hat on the go, he put on a frying pan, instead of felt boots, he pulled gloves on his heels.”

However, distraction and inattention do not always coincide with each other.

Absent-mindedness can be the result of instability, weakness of attention. A person cannot concentrate on anything for a long time. His attention constantly jumps from one to another. Such attention is especially characteristic of children, it is also observed in adults, especially in a state of fatigue, during illness.

But absent-mindedness can have a completely different reason. A person is so strongly focused on one subject, on one activity, that he is not able to notice anything else, and therefore is distracted.

For example, many learned people completely oblivious to everyday problems, on the objects surrounding them, etc. This absent-mindedness is an expression of maximum composure and concentration on the main subject of one's thoughts. Such people have a strong attention, but narrow and inactive. K. K. Platonov in the book: “ Entertaining psychology”leads such an episode: Newton decided to boil an egg. Picking up the watch, he noticed the start of cooking. And after some time, he suddenly discovered that he was holding an egg in his hands, and was cooking ... hours. But when the scientist was once asked how he managed to discover the law of gravity, he replied: "Thanks to the fact that I relentlessly thought about this issue."

Definition of attention

Definition

Attention is the concentration and focus of mental activity on a specific object. Distinguish between involuntary (passive) and voluntary (active) attention, when the choice of the object of attention is made consciously, intentionally. Characteristics of attention: stability, volume (the number of objects that can be perceived and captured by a person in a relatively short time), distribution (the ability to simultaneously keep objects of various activities in the field of consciousness), the ability to switch.

Process essence

Attention can be defined as a psychophysiological process, a state that characterizes the dynamic features cognitive activity. This is the process of consciously or unconsciously selecting one information coming through the senses and ignoring the other.

Classification

Stability (the ability to maintain a state of attention on any object for a long time),

Concentration (the ability to focus one's attention on one object while distracting from others),

Switchability (transfer from one object to another, from one type of activity to another),

Distribution (the ability to spread attention over a large area while performing several activities in parallel),

Volume (the amount of information that a person is able to keep in the area of ​​increased attention).

Process Development

A person's attention is formed from birth, and in the process of its formation, an interconnected development of memory, speech, etc. takes place.

Stages of development

2. The end of the first year of life - the appearance is approximately - research activities as a means of future development of voluntary attention.

3. The beginning of the second year of life - the beginnings of voluntary attention under the influence of adult speech instructions.

4. The second - third year of life - the development of voluntary attention.

5. Four and a half - five years - directing attention to the complex instructions of an adult.

6. Five - six years - the emergence of an elementary form of voluntary attention under the influence of self-instructions.

7. School age- development and improvement of voluntary attention.

Theme 5

ATTENTION

Types of attention

Attention Properties

Mental states of non-pathological disorganization of consciousness

General characteristics of attention

Attention - this is the orientation and concentration of consciousness, which involve an increase in the level of sensory, intellectual or motor activity of the individual .

The focus criteria are:

1) external reactions:

1. motor (head turns, eye fixation, facial expressions, posture of concentration);
2. vegetative (holding the breath, vegetative components of the orienting reaction);

2) focus on the performance of certain activities and control;

3) an increase in the productivity of activity (attentive action, more effective than "inattentive");

4) selectivity (selectivity) of information;

5) clarity and distinctness of the contents of consciousness that are in the field of consciousness.

Thanks to attention, a person selects the necessary information, ensures the selectivity of various programs of his activity, and maintains proper control over his behavior (Fig. 1).

Basic functions of attention

Activation of the necessary and inhibition of the unnecessary this moment psychological and physiological processes

Promoting organized and purposeful selection of information entering the body in accordance with its actual needs

Ensuring selective and prolonged concentration of mental activity on the same object or type of activity

Rice. 1. Functions of attention

Attention accompanies any activity as an integral element of various mental (perception, memory, thinking) and motor processes. Attention is given to:

1. accuracy and detail of perception (attention is a kind of amplifier that allows you to distinguish image details);
2. strength and selectivity of memory (attention acts as a factor contributing to the preservation of the necessary information in short-term and operative memory);
3. orientation and productivity of thinking (attention acts as an obligatory factor in the correct understanding and solution of the problem).

Unlike cognitive processes (perception, memory, thinking, etc.), attention does not have its own special content; it manifests itself, as it were, within these processes and is inseparable from them.

In system interpersonal relationships attention contributes to better mutual understanding, adaptation of people to each other, prevention and timely resolution interpersonal conflicts. Attention, on the one hand, is complex cognitive process, with another− mental state resulting in improved performance. Attention is generated by activity and accompanies it, behind it there are always interests, attitudes, needs, orientation of the individual. In conditions professional activity lawyer (investigator, prosecutor, lawyer, judge), the importance of attention is especially great.

Types of attention

There are several different classifications of attention. The most traditional is the classification on the basis of arbitrariness
(Fig. 2).

involuntary

Arbitrary

Post-voluntary

Types of attention

Rice. 10.2. Attention classification

involuntary attentiondoes not require effort, it is attracted either by a strong, or a new, or interesting stimulus. The main function of involuntary attention is to quickly and correct orientation in constantly changing environmental conditions, in the selection of those objects that may have the greatest vital or personal value at the moment. IN scientific literature you can find different synonyms for involuntary attention. In some studies, it is called passive, thus emphasizing the dependence of involuntary attention on the object that attracted it, and emphasize the lack of effort on the part of the person to focus. In others, involuntary attention is called emotional, thereby noting the connection between the object of attention and emotions, interests and needs. In this case, as well as in the first, there are no volitional efforts aimed at focusing attention.

Arbitrary attentionIt is peculiar only to a person and is characterized by an active, purposeful concentration of consciousness associated with volitional efforts. Synonyms for the word arbitrary (attention) are the words active and volitional. All three terms emphasize active position personality when focusing on an object. Arbitrary attention occurs in cases when a person in his activity sets himself a certain goal, task and consciously develops a program of action. The main function of voluntary attention is the active regulation of the course of mental processes. This kind of attention is closely connected with the will, it requires volitional effort, which is experienced as tension, the mobilization of forces to solve the task. It is thanks to the presence of voluntary attention that a person is able to actively, selectively "extract" the information he needs from memory, highlight the main, essential, make the right decisions, and implement plans that arise in activity.

Post-voluntary attentionis found in those cases when a person, forgetting about everything, goes headlong into work. This type of attention is characterized by a combination of volitional orientation with favorable external and internal conditions activities. Unlike involuntary attention, post-voluntary attention is associated with conscious goals and is supported by conscious interests. The difference between post-voluntary attention and voluntary attention is in the absence of volitional effort.

These types of attention are interconnected and should not be artificially considered as independent of each other (Table 1).

Table 1

Comparative characteristics of types of attention

Attention Properties

Attention is characterized by such properties as volume, switching, distribution, concentration, stability and selectivity (Fig. 3).

Volume

Determined by the number of simultaneously (within 0.1 s) clearly perceived objects

Switching

Distribution

Sustainability

Selectivity

Dynamic characteristic that determines the ability to quickly move from one object to another

Characterized by the ability to simultaneously successfully perform several different types of activities (actions)

Determined by the duration of concentration of attention on the object

Associated with the ability to successfully tune (in the presence of interference) to the perception of information related to a conscious goal

Concentration

Expressed in the degree of focus on the object

Attention Properties

Rice. 3. Properties of attention

attention span measured by the number of objects (elements) perceived at the same time. It has been established that when perceiving many simple objects within 1–1.5 s, the amount of attention in an adult is on average 7–9 elements. The amount of attention depends on the professional activity of a person, his experience, mental development. The amount of attention increases significantly if the objects are grouped, systematized. There is such a pattern: the greater the intensity (strength) of attention, the less volume, and vice versa. This feature of attention should be taken into account during the inspection of the scene, the search. Expansion of the scope of attention can lead to the fact that small details, objects, and various kinds of traces may fall out of the field of view. An important and defining feature of attention is that it practically does not change during training and training.

Switching attentionmanifests itself in the deliberate transition of the subject from one activity to another, from one object to another. In general, shifting attention means the ability to quickly navigate in a complex changing environment. This property of attention largely depends on the individual characteristics of the higher nervous activity of a person - balance and mobility. nervous processes. Depending on the type of higher nervous activity, the attention of some people is more mobile, while others are less mobile. The ease of switching attention also depends on the relationship between previous and subsequent activities and the attitude of the subject to each of them. The more interesting this activity is for a person, the easier it is for him to switch to it. Switching can be determined by a program of conscious behavior, the requirements of an activity, the need to be included in a new activity in accordance with changing conditions, or carried out for recreational purposes. For example, alternation of interrogations with the preparation of procedural documents, the study of received materials with the reception of visitors. This individual feature should be taken into account in professional selection. High shifting of attention required quality investigator. It should be noted that the switchability of attention is one of the well-trained qualities.

Distribution of attention- this is, firstly, the ability to maintain a sufficient level of concentration for as long as is appropriate for this activity; secondly, the ability to resist distractions, random interference in work. The distribution of attention largely depends on the experience of a person, his knowledge and skills.

The ability to distribute attention is a professionally important quality of a lawyer (investigator, prosecutor, judge). So, the investigator, while conducting a search, simultaneously examines the premises, maintains contact with the suspect, observes the slightest changes in his mental state, and makes an assumption about the most likely places of burial of the objects sought.

Sustainability of attentionthis is the ability to delay perception for a long time on certain objects of the surrounding reality. It is known that attention is subject to periodic involuntary fluctuations that occur when a person is engaged in any activity for a long time. Experimental studies have shown that under these conditions, involuntary distraction of attention from the object occurs after 15 - 20 minutes. Most in a simple way maintaining the stability of attention is a volitional effort, but its action will continue until the possibilities of the psyche are exhausted, after which a state of fatigue will inevitably appear. If the work is monotonous and is associated with significant psycho-physiological overloads, fatigue can be prevented by short breaks in work. The stability of attention can be extended for a certain time if you try to find (reveal) new aspects and connections in this or that subject, look at the subject from a different angle. This property of attention is extremely necessary for the investigator at the stage of inspection of the scene.

Selectivity of attentionis the ability to focus on the most important objects.

Concentration of attentionis the degree or intensity of concentration. Attention focus is sometimes called concentration, and these concepts are considered as synonyms. . However, the concentration of attention on one object leads to a positive result only if the subject is able to timely and consistently switch it to other objects. Therefore, such properties of attention as concentration, distribution and volume are closely related.

Distractibility is the involuntary movement of attention from one object to another.

Distractibility occurs when extraneous stimuli act on a person who is currently engaged in some kind of activity. Distinguish between external and internal distractibility.External distractibilityoccurs under the influence of external stimuli, internal
nya - under the influence of strong feelings, extraneous emotions, due to a lack of interest in the business that the person is currently busy with.

Attentiveness is a professionally important property of a lawyer's personality. It is formed during active participation in professional activity, as a result of the development of the will, awareness of the importance of the tasks to be solved. Attention underlies such professionally significant properties of a lawyer as observation, curiosity, high efficiency and creative activity.

The development of the ability to manage one's attention is inextricably linked with the formation of the personality of a lawyer, with his attitude to the profession, people, with the development of such qualities as organization, discipline, endurance, perseverance and self-control.

To focus on:

1. focus on the essential. Direct attention to the object under study and try to highlight in it all the new sides, signs, features, properties. Make sure that attention is directed only to the object of interest to you and not allow it to switch to other objects;
2. do not fix irrelevant information, i.e. it must not be imprinted, nor repeated in memory;
3. discard non-existent information: it must be immediately replaced by the perception of new, more significant information.

mental states
non-pathological disorganization of consciousness

The organization of a person's consciousness is expressed primarily in his attentiveness, in the degree of clarity of awareness of the objects of reality. An indicator of the organization of consciousness is different level mindfulness. The absence of a clear direction of consciousness means its disorganization. In investigative practice, when evaluating the actions of people, it is necessary to keep in mind the various non-pathological levels of disorganization of consciousness.

One of the states of partial disorganization of consciousness is distraction. Distraction is usually referred to as two different phenomena:

1. firstly, the result of excessive deepening into work, when a person does not notice anything around him - neither the surrounding people and objects, nor various phenomena. This type of distraction is calledimaginary absent-mindednessbecause it is the result of great mental concentration;
2. secondly, the state when a person cannot concentrate on anything for a long time, when he constantly moves from one object or phenomenon to another, without dwelling on anything. This so-calledgenuine distraction,excluding any kind of concentration of attention. This type of absent-mindedness is a temporary disturbance of orientation, a weakening of attention. The reasons for true absent-mindedness can be: a disorder of the nervous system, blood diseases, lack of oxygen, physical or mental overwork, severe emotional experiences, a consequence of a traumatic brain injury, etc.

One of the types of temporary disorganization of consciousness is apathy - a state of indifference to external influences. This passive state is associated with a sharp decrease in the tone of the cerebral cortex and is experienced by a person as a painful state. Apathy occurs as a result of nervous overstrain or in conditions of sensory hunger. To a certain extent, apathy paralyzes a person's mental activity, dulls his interests, and lowers his orienting-research activity. highest degree non-pathological disorganization of consciousness occurs during stress and affect.

Constriction of attentiontoo little amount of attention (2-3 units), observed with mental disorders, depression.

Weak attention distribution- a violation in many mental illnesses and conditions.

Psychology is a very subtle and multifaceted science. In this article we will consider the types of attention and try to characterize them.

Attention, its types and properties

In Russian psychology, scientists distinguish the following main types:

• arbitrary;
• involuntary;
• post-voluntary.

When we are engaged in a certain business exclusively for own will, then the orientation will represent an arbitrary or involuntary character. At a time when we are doing something because we have set ourselves a goal and we need to do it, then the nature of concentration will already be arbitrary. We suggest that you consider in detail the types of attention.

This type of attention arises spontaneously, regardless of what the person is doing at the moment. The main reason for the emergence of this type of attention is the environment, human environment as well as instincts and emotions. A person experiences a sudden interest in an occupation for no apparent reason, but at the same time they exist. Involuntary attention can be triggered by harsh external stimuli, such as flashes of light, unpleasant smells, and sudden loud noises. At night, our body reacts more strongly to irritants of this kind. In addition, unfamiliar or little-known sounds attract more attention.

Personal attention is attracted by unusual details of stimuli, such as color, size, length, and other parameters. The attitude of a person to this stimulus is also of great importance. For example, if an irritant causes unpleasant associations or sensations, then a person will have negative ones. And those stimuli that will cause a positive reaction in a person will be able to attract his attention for a long period of time.

Consider an arbitrary type of attention and its functions. hallmark is the fact that a person is given a goal to perform certain tasks. The main function is to control mental processes. This type of attention is often called active; it appears in a person as a result of his perseverance and concentration. The mind helps us to understand what is important at the moment and helps to distract from involuntary attention. In young children, voluntary attention begins to form only after reaching the age of two.

This type of attention is characterized by the following: at first, a person had voluntary attention, which worked due to willpower, and then the process turned into involuntary attention due to the person’s emotions.