{"id":852,"date":"2016-12-05T08:12:16","date_gmt":"2016-12-05T16:12:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kylemathewson.com\/?p=852"},"modified":"2016-12-05T08:12:16","modified_gmt":"2016-12-05T16:12:16","slug":"the-time-and-place-for-your-attention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.psych.ualberta.ca\/kylemathewson\/the-time-and-place-for-your-attention\/","title":{"rendered":"The time and place for your attention"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The time and place for your attention<\/h1>\n

New research shows that, when focused, we process information continuously, rather than in waves as previously thought.<\/p>\n

By Katie Willis on December 5, 2016<\/p>\n<\/header>\n

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Kyle Mathewson, associate professor, and Sayeed Kizuk, graduate student, demonstrate the use of EEG technology for studying information processing in the brain. Photo credit: Dawn Graves<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

You\u2019re in a crowded lecture theatre. Around you are a million tiny distractions: someone rustling in their bag; a door opening for latecomers; a phone vibrating or lighting up; another listener having a snack; a pen dropping on the floor. However, you remain focused, concentrating on the speaker, listening and engaging with the talk.<\/p>\n

But, how do you do that?<\/p>\n

New research shows that when we\u2019re paying attention to something, that information is processed in a continuous manner. But when we\u2019re trying to ignore something, we perceive and experience information in waves or frames, like scenes in a movie.<\/p>\n

Paying attention<\/h3>\n
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\u201cWe are bombarded with so much information and stimulation that we can’t possibly process it all at once.\u201d \u2014Kyle Mathewson<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Cognitive neuroscientist Kyle Mathewson<\/a> and Sayeed Kizuk, graduate of the bachelor of science program in honours psychology<\/a> and current master’s student, recently published research explaining the phenomena.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are better at prioritizing certain times when we are not attending to that space in the world,\u201d explains Mathewson, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology<\/a> at the University of Alberta and Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute<\/a> affiliate. \u201cThis research shows that the two processes for attending to space and attending to time interact with one another.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our brains oscillate at many different frequencies, explains Mathewson, and each frequency has a different role.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis study examined 12 hertz alpha oscillations, a mechanisms used to inhibit, or ignore, a certain stimulus thereby allowing us to focus on a particular time or space that we are experiencing, while ignoring others\u201d says Mathewson.<\/p>\n

For example, if there is a repetitive stimulus in the world, such as the sound of someone\u2019s voice in a lecture theatre, the alpha waves lock onto the timing of that stimulus, and the brain becomes better at processing things that occur in time with that stimulus. The new findings show, surprisingly, that this happens more in places we are ignoring.<\/p>\n

Avoiding information overload<\/h3>\n

\u201cWe are bombarded with so much information and stimulation that we can’t possibly process it all at once. Whether it be commuting, engaging in our work, studying for a class, or working out, our brains select the useful information and ignore the rest, so that we can focus on a single or a few items in order to make appropriate responses in the world. This research helps explain how,\u201d says Mathewson.<\/p>\n

Mathewson is now working on stimulating the brain at alpha frequencies in order to understand how to improve brain function in meaningful ways. For instance, improving one\u2019s ability to focus and perform in real-world situations, such as working on a project or riding a bike.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo better understand how the brain and mind works can help us improve performance and attention in our everyday lives, to improve our safety, increase our work productivity, do better at school, and perform better in sports,\u201d explains Mathewson. \u201cWe\u2019re developing and testing novel, portable technologies to make this possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

The paper, \u201cPower and phase of alpha oscillations reveal an interaction between spatial and temporal visual attention<\/a>\u201d was published in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience<\/em> in fall 2016.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

link The time and place for your attention New research shows that, when focused, we process information continuously, rather than in waves as previously thought. By Katie Willis on December 5, 2016 Kyle Mathewson, associate professor, and Sayeed Kizuk, graduate student, demonstrate the use of EEG technology for studying information processing in the brain. Photo … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “The time and place for your attention”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.psych.ualberta.ca\/kylemathewson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/852","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.psych.ualberta.ca\/kylemathewson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.psych.ualberta.ca\/kylemathewson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.psych.ualberta.ca\/kylemathewson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.psych.ualberta.ca\/kylemathewson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=852"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.psych.ualberta.ca\/kylemathewson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/852\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.psych.ualberta.ca\/kylemathewson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.psych.ualberta.ca\/kylemathewson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.psych.ualberta.ca\/kylemathewson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}