Associative and conceptual attention ​

Psychologists distinguish two types of attention - involuntary and voluntary, or, as we will say, associative and conceptual.

Involuntary or associative attention is sometimes also called passive: it is directed regardless of the person's will, as if on its own. For example, associative attention is automatically drawn to external stimuli: a loud noise outside, a bright painting in the room, notifications on the phone or an alert about a new incoming email on email. The strength of the stimulus and your engagement in an activity are also important. For example, when you are in a state of flow working on your work product, like code or a post in the HS Club, you may not react to background conversations in the room, but startle if someone suddenly screams.

Associative attention also easily focuses on familiar objects. For example, we usually easily identify objects that are important to us in our familiar role. A dancer will quickly notice synchronicity of movements in a pair or dance team. An operations manager quickly identifies tasks that need to be done in the project, and it may not be difficult to discuss, but even just to identify an object like the architecture of the product.

Associative attention is related to the first signaling system - S1 according to Kahneman (signaling systems opened by Pavlov, refined by Kahneman). S1 is the fast automatic brain system that is responsible for emotional and volitional sphere and behavior automatisms. Its key function is to maximize a person's survival in the environment. Therefore, it is powerful, very well optimized in terms of resources, provides speed in activities, minimizes energy losses, but has its features that interfere with living in an orderly social system. For example, because of S1, attention is automatically drawn to the latest signals from the environment: the previous signals did not kill us, we can live with them, but new ones can still kill us. When you run away from predators, this is useful, but when you work in a company, such reactions become obstacles to normal work: they force you to optimize work at the "input" stage, not at the "output" stage. Therefore, instead of completing current tasks, we constantly focus on new "inputs" and new tasks.

Part of the problems associated with S1 are solved with the help of the second signaling system - S2 according to Kahneman. S2 is a slow system that allows consciously distinguishing between the important and unimportant. The key function of S2 is generating generative models and predicting behavior, which is why it is also called the "analytical system." It consumes a lot of resources: the brain's energy consumption "at rest" is approximately 9%, and during active work of S2, the brain begins to consume up to 35% of the body's energy. And all this is because of the work of S2, which processes only 5% of the incoming signals!

Thanks to the presence of S2, a person can develop a powerful intellect, consciously select sources of information, and learn. But while the biological mechanism of S2 is innate, the focusing of attention on objects accepted in culture and/or society, company or group is formed through upbringing and education in a social environment. Initially, parents, then teachers and surroundings direct the child's attention to objects, point at them, give them names according to some discipline. This helps to explore the world, create more complex systems, for which more complex models are required. That is why this type of attention is called voluntary or conceptual: attention is directed not randomly but through purposeful efforts, and objects are given names aligned with the accumulated experience of people. Having conceptual attention allows a person to interrupt automatisms that interfere in activities: for example, deliberately focusing attention on completing tasks to the end, "releasing work products" instead of constantly taking on new tasks and projects and not fully completing any of them.

We will discuss how to use both types of attention so that they do not interfere, but aid in activities in the section "Attention Focus."