Science used to see attention as involuntary and hardwired
Back in the 1970s science saw attention as mostly stimulus-driven, automatic, unconscious, and from the “bottom up”—a function of the brain stem, a primitive structure sitting just above the spinal cord, rather than from a “top-down” cortical area. This view renders attention involuntary. Something happens around us—a phone rings—and our attention automatically gets pulled to the source of that sound. This view renders attention involuntary. Something happens around us—a phone rings—and our attention automatically gets pulled to the source of that sound. A sound continues to the point of monotony and we habituate. There was no scientific concept for the volitional control of attention—despite the fact that psychologists themselves were using their volitional attention to write about how no such ability existed! In keeping with the scientific standards of the day, the reality of their own experience was simply ignored in favor of what could be objectively observed, in characteristic left hemisphere manner: the left hemisphere prioritizes theory over experience. With attention being supposedly hardwired, it would thus also be fixed and beyond any potential for improvement.
References
- Goleman, Daniel. Davidson, A., Richard. (2017). Altered Traits Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body Chapter 7. Attention! (EPub p. 117, 122). Garden City, NY: Avery.
Metadata
Type:🔴 Tags: Cognitive Science / Psychology / Biology / Neuroscience Status:☀️