Directed Attention Fatigue Proposal:
What is Directed Attention?
- use of brain's global inhibitory system to handle incoming distractions while maintaining focus on task at hand
What is Directed Attention Fatigue?
- is a normal biological process
- is a temporary condition
- happens when a particular part of brain's global inhibitory systems are overused due to increasing numbers of stimuli needing to be supressed
- is simply fatigue, not an illness or personality disorder
- 6 major areas of mental processing that are affected by DAF (according to Kaplan research):
- Input- misperception, missing social cues
- Thinking- restlessness, confusion, forgetfulness, decreased metacognition
- Behavior- impulsiveness, recklessness, diminished threshold between thoughts and actions, actions that are out of character
- Executive Functioning- inability to plan and make appropriate decisions, impaired judgment
- Emotions- short temperedness, unpleasantness
- Social Interactions- irritability, feeling antisocial
Overlap of symptoms from each of the six categories is highly indicative of DAF.
Biology/Physiology of Directed Attention Fatigue
- parts of brain that are involved in Direct Attention
- is localized in prefrontal cortex, through anterior cingulate gyrus, down to brain stem's basal ganglia
- mechanisms of Direct Attention
- brain becomes fatigued while blocking several competing incoming stimuli from external distractions
What triggers onset of Directed Attention Fatigue?
- multitasking
- disruptive background noise
- rapid changes of focus during prolonged period of attention
- lack of sleep
- concentration-intensive tasks such as filing taxes, learning unfamiliar ideas
- stress resulting from emergencies, exams, or work deadlines
- illness or injury that interrupts brain circuits involved in maintaining attention
What can be done to reduce Directed Attention Fatigue symptoms?
- reduce number of distractions in external environment
- try to clear mind of any internal distractions
- take short breaks during any prolonged periods of attention or focus
- get sufficient amount of sleep each night
Who is currently involved in Directed Attention Fatigue research?
- Drs. Stephen and Rachel Kaplan, University of Michigan enviromental psychologists
- Dr. Bernadine Cimprich, University of Michigan Professor of Nursing
- Dr. Frances Kuo and Dr. William Sullivan, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana psychologists
Resources to be used:
- Beadle, S. Directed Attention Fatigue and Restoration, 2006. Web. 20 Feb. 2011. http://www.troutfoot.com/attn/index.html.
- Berman, Mark G., and Stephen Kaplan. "Directed Attention as a Common Resource for Executive Functioning and Self-Regulation." Perspectives on Psychological Science 5.1 (2010): 43-57. Google ::Scholar. Web. 20 Feb. 2011.
- Cimprich B. (1993) Development of an intervention to restore attention in cancer patients. Cancer Nurs. 1993 Apr;16(2):83-92.
- Kaplan, S. and R. Kaplan (1982). Cognition and Environment. New York: Praeger. Republished 1989 by Ulrich’s, Ann Arbor, MI.
- Kaplan, S. (1978). Attention and fascination: The search for cognitive clarity. In S. Kaplan & R. Kaplan (Eds.), Humanscape: Environments for people. Belmont, CA: Duxbury. (Republished by Ann ::Arbor, MI: Ulrich's, 1982)
- Kuo FE, Sullivan WC. Aggression and violence in the inner city: impacts of environment via mental fatigue. Environment Behav. 2001;33:543–571.
- Lezak, M.D., Assessing executive functions, International Journal of Psychology, 17 (1982) 281-297
- Kaplan, R. and Kaplan, S. (1989). The Experience of Nature: A Psychological Perspective. Cambridge University Press 1989: 177-200.
Workload Division:
- Bridget Keaney-current research of DAF
- Debra Hwang- psychological aspects of DAF
- Young Byun-biological aspects of DAF