Automaticity
Encyclopedia
Automaticity is the ability to do things without occupying the mind
with the low-level details required, allowing it to become an automatic response pattern or habit
. It is usually the result of learning
, repetition, and practice.
Examples of automaticity are common activities such as speaking, bicycle-riding, assembly-line work, and driving a car (see Highway hypnosis
). After an activity is sufficiently practiced, it is possible to focus the mind on other activities or thoughts while undertaking an automaticized activity (for example, holding a conversation or planning a speech while driving a car). Walking is not an example of automaticity as it is not a cortical function. It is a medullary function, with specific medullary circuits, which can be learnt to be inhibited or altered by higher-order ones.
's book about social psychology
and influence tactics, Cialdini explains how common automatic response patterns are in human behavior
, and how easily they can be triggered, even with erroneous cues. He describes an experiment conducted by social psychologists Langer
, Chanowitz, and Blank which illustrates how compliant people will be with a request if they hear words that sound like they are being given a reason, even if no actual reason is provided. The experimenters approached people standing in line to use a photocopier with one of three requests:
When given the request plus a reason, 94% of people asked complied with the request. When given the request without a reason, only 60% complied. But when given the request with what sounds like a reason but isn't, compliance jumped back to 93%. Langer, Chanowitz, and Blank are convinced that most human behavior falls into automatic response patterns.
Some educational software, like QuickSmart
, incorporates the concept of automaticity. By measuring the consistency of processing speed and accuracy of students' responses, foundation skills can become automatic. As a result, students can devote cognitive effort to higher-order comprehension skills.
Moreover, if the student is automatic or is "a skilled reader, multiple tasks are being performed at the same time, such as decoding the words, comprehending the information, relating the information to prior knowledge of the subject matter, making inferences, and evaluating the information's usefulness to a report he or she is writing" (Samuels). It is essential to understand automaticity and how it is achieved to better a student performance. This is important for teachers because automaticity should be focused on in early years to ensure higher level reading skills in adolescence.
. This effect has been named the "centipede effect" after the fable of the "Centipede's dilemma
", where a toad immobilises a centipede simply by asking it how it walks. The centipede's normally unconscious locomotion was interrupted by conscious reflection on it. The psychologist George Humphrey referred to the tale in his 1923 The story of man's mind: "No man skilled at a trade needs to put his constant attention on the routine work," he wrote. "If he does, the job is apt to be spoiled."
Mind
The concept of mind is understood in many different ways by many different traditions, ranging from panpsychism and animism to traditional and organized religious views, as well as secular and materialist philosophies. Most agree that minds are constituted by conscious experience and intelligent...
with the low-level details required, allowing it to become an automatic response pattern or habit
Habit (psychology)
Habits are routines of behavior that are repeated regularly and tend to occur subconsciously. Habitual behavior often goes unnoticed in persons exhibiting it, because a person does not need to engage in self-analysis when undertaking routine tasks...
. It is usually the result of learning
Learning
Learning is acquiring new or modifying existing knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, or preferences and may involve synthesizing different types of information. The ability to learn is possessed by humans, animals and some machines. Progress over time tends to follow learning curves.Human learning...
, repetition, and practice.
Examples of automaticity are common activities such as speaking, bicycle-riding, assembly-line work, and driving a car (see Highway hypnosis
Highway hypnosis
Highway hypnosis, also popularly known as driving without attention mode or white line fever, is a mental state in which a person can drive a truck or automobile great distances, responding to external events in the expected manner with no recollection of having consciously done so...
). After an activity is sufficiently practiced, it is possible to focus the mind on other activities or thoughts while undertaking an automaticized activity (for example, holding a conversation or planning a speech while driving a car). Walking is not an example of automaticity as it is not a cortical function. It is a medullary function, with specific medullary circuits, which can be learnt to be inhibited or altered by higher-order ones.
Using automaticity to influence
In Influence, Robert CialdiniRobert Cialdini
Robert B. Cialdini is Regents’ Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University.He is best known for his popular book on persuasion and marketing, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. Influence has sold over 2 million copies and has been translated into twenty-six...
's book about social psychology
Social psychology
Social psychology is the scientific study of how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. By this definition, scientific refers to the empirical method of investigation. The terms thoughts, feelings, and behaviors include all...
and influence tactics, Cialdini explains how common automatic response patterns are in human behavior
Human behavior
Human behavior refers to the range of behaviors exhibited by humans and which are influenced by culture, attitudes, emotions, values, ethics, authority, rapport, hypnosis, persuasion, coercion and/or genetics....
, and how easily they can be triggered, even with erroneous cues. He describes an experiment conducted by social psychologists Langer
Langer
Langer is a family name. For the etymology, meaning, and pronunciation of the name, and for the Hiberno-English slang word, see Wiktionary.People with the family name Langer include:*A. J...
, Chanowitz, and Blank which illustrates how compliant people will be with a request if they hear words that sound like they are being given a reason, even if no actual reason is provided. The experimenters approached people standing in line to use a photocopier with one of three requests:
- "Excuse me. I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I'm in a rush?"
- "Excuse me. I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine?" or
- "Excuse me. I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I have to make some copies?"
When given the request plus a reason, 94% of people asked complied with the request. When given the request without a reason, only 60% complied. But when given the request with what sounds like a reason but isn't, compliance jumped back to 93%. Langer, Chanowitz, and Blank are convinced that most human behavior falls into automatic response patterns.
Automaticity in reading
LaBerge and Samuels (1974) helped explain how reading fluency develops. Automaticity refers to knowing how to perform some arbitrary task at a competent level without requiring conscious effort—i.e. it is a form of unconscious competence.Some educational software, like QuickSmart
QuickSmart
QuickSmart is a basic academic skills program aimed at middle years students in Australia. Two programs using the same approach encourage fast and accurate basic skills in literacy or numeracy.-History:...
, incorporates the concept of automaticity. By measuring the consistency of processing speed and accuracy of students' responses, foundation skills can become automatic. As a result, students can devote cognitive effort to higher-order comprehension skills.
Moreover, if the student is automatic or is "a skilled reader, multiple tasks are being performed at the same time, such as decoding the words, comprehending the information, relating the information to prior knowledge of the subject matter, making inferences, and evaluating the information's usefulness to a report he or she is writing" (Samuels). It is essential to understand automaticity and how it is achieved to better a student performance. This is important for teachers because automaticity should be focused on in early years to ensure higher level reading skills in adolescence.
Disrupting automaticity
Automaticity can be disrupted by explicit attentionAttention
Attention is the cognitive process of paying attention to one aspect of the environment while ignoring others. Attention is one of the most intensely studied topics within psychology and cognitive neuroscience....
. This effect has been named the "centipede effect" after the fable of the "Centipede's dilemma
Centipede's dilemma
"The Centipede's Dilemma" is a short poem which has given its name to an effect in psychology: the centipede effect . This is when a normally automatic or unconscious activity is disrupted by consciousness of it or reflection on it...
", where a toad immobilises a centipede simply by asking it how it walks. The centipede's normally unconscious locomotion was interrupted by conscious reflection on it. The psychologist George Humphrey referred to the tale in his 1923 The story of man's mind: "No man skilled at a trade needs to put his constant attention on the routine work," he wrote. "If he does, the job is apt to be spoiled."
Sources
- PhysioEx 6.0 – Peter Zao – Timothy Stabler – Greta Peterson – Lori Smith
- Shiffrin, R.M., & Schneider, W. (1977). Controlled and automatic human information processing. II. Perceptual learning, automatic attending and a general theory. Psychological Review, 84(2), 127-190.
- Samuels, S. J., & Flor, R.F. (1997). The Importance of Automaticity for Developing Expertise in Reading. Reading & Writing Quarterly 13 (2) p. 107 — 121.
- Cialdini, R.B. (2001). Influence: Science and practice (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. p. 4