Work

Now, Pay Attention! The Effects of Instruction on Children's Attention

Year: 2010

Type: article

Abstract: We investigated the effects of instructions to "stay on task" on preschoolers' attention and cognitive performance in the face of either incomprehensible or comprehensible distraction. Three- and 4-year-olds completed problem-solving tasks while a distracting event played continuously in the background, under conditions of (a) no instruction, (b) moderate instruction, or (c) frequent instruction to "stay on task." Under conditions where an incomprehensible distractor was present, any amount of instruction reduced looking to the distracting event. Under conditions where a comprehensible distractor was present, however, frequent instruction was the most effective in increasing looking to the task and decreasing looking to the distracting event.

Source: Journal of Cognition and Development

DOI: 10.1080/15248372.2010.516418

Authors: Kathleen N. Kannass, John Colombo, Nancy Wyss

Institutions: Loyola University Chicago, University of Kansas

Language: English

Topic: Child and Animal Learning Development

Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: green

Funder: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development