The Five Types Of Care

Understanding that there are several types of care is as important as enhancing each of them. We tend to define attention as the ability to focus and we usually use this concept by its antonym, lack of attention.

Whenever we talk about someone who is distracted or just not listening, we say that they are not paying attention. The question is this: Can you live without care?

Attention disorders are in vogue today. We should not be surprised, we live in a society that demands the constant processing of endless stimuli. Advertising, simultaneous tasks and technological devices are examples of the elements that capture our attention at all times.

Beyond that, attention is a brain-based cognitive process and therefore a person does not lack attention because they are distracted, they are simply putting it elsewhere .

Attention, executive function

Attention is one of the most complex functions of the brain about which to date there is no closed definition and accepted by all. It is a function that allows us to filter stimuli, process information and focus on a goal. For all this, the frontal lobe requires the integration of information from all the rest of the nervous system.

This process occurs at various levels that depend on the interaction with the environment. The characteristics of a task and its demands will determine the type of attention we employ.

Types of care

As we already mentioned, care occurs at different levels with very different characteristics. For this, the concept of orientation is fundamental, the consciousness of ourselves in relation to the surroundings. Then the type of attention employed will depend on the level of consciousness and the activation required to generate a response.

Targeted attention

This type of attention is based on the ability to respond specifically to a stimulus. This requires that the subject ignore the rest of the stimuli that surround him. This requires a high level of alertness and activation.

When a person is very tired from having a prolonged state of alert, they can no longer ignore the rest of the stimuli with the same effectiveness, being more “vulnerable” to distractors.

Sustained attention

Sustained attention is used in long-term tasks. It is the ability to maintain a cognitive activity with persistence. For example, if the task is to read a book for an exam, we will need to read and process the information for several hours. In many cases, the reward is not immediate, so this type of care has several obstacles:

• Motivation.
• Fatigue.
• Boredom.
• Concise task.

Divided attention

Our brain is so amazing that it allows us to do two tasks at the same time. Now, although these tasks may not be so demanding, it is necessary to divide the attention resources in order to have a good performance in both

This capacity is limited, since as two simultaneous sources of information increase their demand, the response deteriorates. For example, when we need to write and at the same time listen, look and exchange with a teacher, we use divided attention.

Alternate care

The most prominent aspect of mental flexibility, understood as the ability to change focus and move between very different tasks. A very clear example, when we prepare a very complex dish that requires working its ingredients at different times. For this we have to change the task without first forgetting the previous task, since in a few seconds we will return to it.

The importance of attentional control

Attention is not a single or exclusive process, most of the tasks require the joint action of different types of attention.

Attentional control or the ability to alternate and effectively use the types of attention, depends on other executive functions, among them the most important are:

• Memory. Many tasks require the retrieval of material in long or short term memory, for this a good level of attention is necessary.
• Planning. Other tasks require the joint and planned action of many tasks, which must be ordered and executed efficiently.
• Inhibition. This is the ability to inhibit, filter and control sensory stimuli that do not correspond to the action that is being carried out.

What parts of the nervous system are involved in attention?

The main structures involved are:

• Ascending reticular system. Attention requires the ability to receive stimuli. Peripheral information is processed thanks to its journey through the brain stem.
• Parietal lobe. Of importance in the spatial processing of stimuli and the allocation of resources to a certain task.
• Frontal lobe. The conductor of the brain orchestra. It is in charge of selecting responses and motor programs for the execution of a plan that allows the development of an action.

Conclusion: an indispensable tool

Attention is a complex brain function that has had a special role in our evolution and development as a species. It is in turn, a skill that must be taken care of and exercised, since any damage in the mentioned areas usually causes irrecoverable setbacks.

The five types of attention are equally important and we use them every day for tasks as automatic, as making breakfast, or as complex, as driving in traffic.