Directed attention fatigue
Encyclopedia
Directed Attention Fatigue (DAF) is a neurological phenomenon that results from overuse of the brain’s inhibitory attention mechanisms, which handle incoming distractions while maintaining focus on a specific task. The greatest threat to a given focus of attention is competition from other stimuli that can cause a shift in focus. This is because one maintains focus on a particular thought not by strengthening that particular mental activity, but by inhibiting all potential distractions. A temporary condition, DAF occurs when a particular part of the brain’s global inhibitory system is overworked due to the suppression of increasing numbers of stimuli
. It is important to note that Directed Attention Fatigue is not a clinical illness or a personality disorder
. It is rather a temporary fatigue of the inhibitory mechanisms in the brain
. According to Inhibition Theory
, it is natural for one to alternate between periods of attention and distraction. Although one’s efforts may involve very different tasks, each incoming stimulus calls upon the same directed attention mechanism.
is used in many situations that would be described as mental fatigue, but two concepts are distinctly different. Stress involves preparation for an anticipated event that has been evaluated as being threatening or harmful. Though mental fatigue may well result from such circumstances, it also arises out of hard work on a project one enjoys. In such cases, there is no anticipation involved and no threat of harm is present. Characteristic of mental fatigue is difficulty focusing. For a mentally fatigued person, paying attention to something uninteresting is burdensome, even though focusing on something of great interest poses no particular challenge. Hence, there are two types of attention, distinguished in terms of the effort involved in their use and their changes in attentional shift:
and the parietal lobe
of the brain. Specifically, the mechanism of directed attention employs the prefrontal cortex
(PFC), the anterior cingulate cortex
(ACC) and the brain stem’s basal ganglia
. Some fMRI studies have shown that directed attention involves changes in the anterior cingulate cortex and the lateral prefrontal cortex, perhaps as a consequence of increased connectivity between these two areas. Evidence also suggests that the right inferior frontal cortex
(IFC) plays a specialized role in response inhibition. It seems that this region plays a key role in the integration of bottom-up
response-related information and facilitates goal-directed
behavior.
While these areas of the brain are known to be involved in DAF, their specific molecular mechanisms in the perpetuation of DAF symptoms are not yet known.
There are 6 major areas of mental processing that are affected during onset of DAF, which are as follows:
Overlap of symptoms from the six above categories is highly indicative of Directed Attention Fatigue.
Aesthetic environment may also serve a restorative function in fostering recovery from mental fatigue. Research has shown that restorative experiences, such as clearing one's head and reflecting on one's life and priorities, may help combat Directed Attention Fatigue.
. Specifically, the right prefrontal cortex is less active among children with ADHD. Experimentation has shown that the severity of ADHD symptoms can be correlated to the degree of asymmetry between blood flow in the left and right prefrontal cortex. It is possible that DAF and ADHD involve disruption of the same underlying mechanism, and recent clinical evidence has found that the same treatments used for Directed Attention Fatigue may reduce the symptoms of ADHD in children. However, it is important to note that unlike ADHD, DAF is a temporary condition rather than a clinical disorder.
, environmental psychologists at the University of Michigan. Rachel and Stephen Kaplan are credited with much of the research relating to Directed Attention Fatigue and were the first to discover that extended periods of focused attention can lead to DAF. Their research suggests that Directed Attention Fatigue can be alleviated with exposure to nature. Together, the Kaplans devised the Attention restoration theory
(ART), which states that a person is better able to maintain focused directed attention after spending time in the natural environment.
A number of studies have been performed that specifically focus on Directed Attention Fatigue experienced by cancer patients. Such studies suggests that the DAF experienced by cancer patients following surgery improves significantly through outdoor restorative activities for 20 minutes per day.
Similarly, it has been discovered that even brief amounts of time spent on a busy metropolitan street can affect one's ability to maintain focus on a given task. Experimental findings suggest that spending time in a natural environment or even looking at pictures of nature can improve maintenance of directed attention.
The Landscape and Human Health Laboratory (LHHL) has completed studies examining the complex relationship between people and their environment. Researchers here discovered the correlation between Directed Attention Fatigue, irritability and aggression. Their findings suggest that people deprived of the restorative effects of nature display more aggressive qualities. Results also demonstrate that communities with several trees and other natural areas tend to be stronger, safer and house residents with a higher attention level. More recent experimentation done at the LHHL suggests that children possessing attention deficits increase their attention level after walking outdoors.
According to this and much other research that has been performed regarding Directed Attention Fatigue, the brain's ability to maintain directed attention is heightened after exposure to nature.
Stimulus (physiology)
In physiology, a stimulus is a detectable change in the internal or external environment. The ability of an organism or organ to respond to external stimuli is called sensitivity....
. It is important to note that Directed Attention Fatigue is not a clinical illness or a personality disorder
Personality disorder
Personality disorders, formerly referred to as character disorders, are a class of personality types and behaviors. Personality disorders are noted on Axis II of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or DSM-IV-TR of the American Psychiatric Association.Personality disorders are...
. It is rather a temporary fatigue of the inhibitory mechanisms in the brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
. According to Inhibition Theory
Inhibition Theory
Inhibition theory is based on the basic assumption that, during the performance of any mental task, which requires a minimum of mental effort, the subject actually goes through a series of alternating states of distraction and attention...
, it is natural for one to alternate between periods of attention and distraction. Although one’s efforts may involve very different tasks, each incoming stimulus calls upon the same directed attention mechanism.
Stress vs. Mental Fatigue
The concept of stressStress (biology)
Stress is a term in psychology and biology, borrowed from physics and engineering and first used in the biological context in the 1930s, which has in more recent decades become commonly used in popular parlance...
is used in many situations that would be described as mental fatigue, but two concepts are distinctly different. Stress involves preparation for an anticipated event that has been evaluated as being threatening or harmful. Though mental fatigue may well result from such circumstances, it also arises out of hard work on a project one enjoys. In such cases, there is no anticipation involved and no threat of harm is present. Characteristic of mental fatigue is difficulty focusing. For a mentally fatigued person, paying attention to something uninteresting is burdensome, even though focusing on something of great interest poses no particular challenge. Hence, there are two types of attention, distinguished in terms of the effort involved in their use and their changes in attentional shift:
-
- Involuntary attention refers to attention that requires no effort at all, as when something exciting or interesting happens.
- Voluntary attention, or directed attention, refers to attention that requires a great deal of effort, as when something is monotonous or boring.
Anatomy
Directed attention, or voluntary attention, requires a great deal of concentration and focus, and is employed in tasks such as problem solving. This type of attention employs the inhibitory mechanisms of the brain, which help block incoming stimuli that are unrelated to the task at hand. Several parts of the brain are involved in maintaining directed attention, primarily those located in the frontal lobeFrontal lobe
The frontal lobe is an area in the brain of humans and other mammals, located at the front of each cerebral hemisphere and positioned anterior to the parietal lobe and superior and anterior to the temporal lobes...
and the parietal lobe
Parietal lobe
The parietal lobe is a part of the Brain positioned above the occipital lobe and behind the frontal lobe.The parietal lobe integrates sensory information from different modalities, particularly determining spatial sense and navigation. For example, it comprises somatosensory cortex and the...
of the brain. Specifically, the mechanism of directed attention employs the prefrontal cortex
Prefrontal cortex
The prefrontal cortex is the anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain, lying in front of the motor and premotor areas.This brain region has been implicated in planning complex cognitive behaviors, personality expression, decision making and moderating correct social behavior...
(PFC), the anterior cingulate cortex
Anterior cingulate cortex
The anterior cingulate cortex is the frontal part of the cingulate cortex, that resembles a "collar" form around the corpus callosum, the fibrous bundle that relays neural signals between the right and left cerebral hemispheres of the brain...
(ACC) and the brain stem’s basal ganglia
Basal ganglia
The basal ganglia are a group of nuclei of varied origin in the brains of vertebrates that act as a cohesive functional unit. They are situated at the base of the forebrain and are strongly connected with the cerebral cortex, thalamus and other brain areas...
. Some fMRI studies have shown that directed attention involves changes in the anterior cingulate cortex and the lateral prefrontal cortex, perhaps as a consequence of increased connectivity between these two areas. Evidence also suggests that the right inferior frontal cortex
Inferior frontal gyrus
The inferior frontal gyrus is a gyrus of the frontal lobe . It is labelled gyrus frontalis inferior, its Latin name...
(IFC) plays a specialized role in response inhibition. It seems that this region plays a key role in the integration of bottom-up
Top-down and bottom-up design
Top–down and bottom–up are strategies of information processing and knowledge ordering, mostly involving software, but also other humanistic and scientific theories . In practice, they can be seen as a style of thinking and teaching...
response-related information and facilitates goal-directed
Goal-oriented
The concept of goal orientation was developed to describe variability in dispositional or situational goal preferences that an individual implicitly sets for him/herself in achievement situations. GOs assist in providing a motivational framework for how individuals perceive, interpret, and judge...
behavior.
While these areas of the brain are known to be involved in DAF, their specific molecular mechanisms in the perpetuation of DAF symptoms are not yet known.
Onset
The onset of Directed Attention Fatigue can be triggered by a number of activities, all of which involve use of the brain’s inhibitory system. Activities that engage this system include multitasking, working in an environment with disruptive background noise or after a lack of sleep, and rapidly changing focus during a prolonged period of attention. DAF can also be brought about by performing concentration-intensive tasks such as puzzle solving or learning unfamiliar ideas. External factors such as stress resulting from emergencies, exams or work deadlines can also induce DAF. Any illness or injury to the brain that interrupts the brain circuits involved in maintaining attention and inhibiting external stimuli may also contribute to the development of Directed Attention Fatigue.Symptoms
Extreme levels of mental fatigue lead to incompetence and irritability. Studies that require participants to carry out attention-demanding tasks under conditions of high distraction reveal how unpleasant a mentally fatigued person can be. After exposure to such an experience, individuals are less likely to help someone in need. They are also more aggressive, less tolerant, and less sensitive to socially important cues. Fatigue that is experienced by participants of these kinds of studies is induced by attention-intensive tasks, and the observed effects of such fatigue are correlated with decline in inhibitory control. Signs of Directed Attention Fatigue include temporarily feeling unusually distractible, impatient, forgetful, or cranky when there is no associated illness. In more severe forms, it can lead to bad judgment, apathy, or accidents, and can contribute to increased stress levels.There are 6 major areas of mental processing that are affected during onset of DAF, which are as follows:
-
- Input- One may experience misperception and miss social cues.
- Thinking- One may experience feelings of restlessness, confusion, forgetfulness and/or decreased metacognitionMetacognitionMetacognition is defined as "cognition about cognition", or "knowing about knowing." It can take many forms; it includes knowledge about when and how to use particular strategies for learning or for problem solving...
. - Behavior- One may experience feelings of impulsiveness and recklessness, and may find that they have a diminished level of threshold between thoughts and actions. One may also act out-of-character.
- Executive Functioning- One may experience an inability to plan and make appropriate decisions, and may experience impaired judgment ability.
- Emotions- One may experience short-temperedness and feelings of unpleasantness.
- Social Interactions- One may experience heightened irritability and increased frequency of antisocial feelings.
Overlap of symptoms from the six above categories is highly indicative of Directed Attention Fatigue.
Treatment
There are measures that can be taken in order to reduce the impact of DAF. These include reducing the number of distractions present in one’s external environment, trying to clear one’s mind of any internal distractions and taking short breaks during prolonged periods of focus. Directed Attention Fatigue can be reduced by getting a sufficient amount of sleep each night because during sleep, inhibitory attention chemicals are replenished.Aesthetic environment may also serve a restorative function in fostering recovery from mental fatigue. Research has shown that restorative experiences, such as clearing one's head and reflecting on one's life and priorities, may help combat Directed Attention Fatigue.
Link to ADHD
The symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder closely mirror the symptoms of Directed Attention Fatigue. Like Directed Attention Fatigue, ADHD involves the prefrontal cortexPrefrontal cortex
The prefrontal cortex is the anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain, lying in front of the motor and premotor areas.This brain region has been implicated in planning complex cognitive behaviors, personality expression, decision making and moderating correct social behavior...
. Specifically, the right prefrontal cortex is less active among children with ADHD. Experimentation has shown that the severity of ADHD symptoms can be correlated to the degree of asymmetry between blood flow in the left and right prefrontal cortex. It is possible that DAF and ADHD involve disruption of the same underlying mechanism, and recent clinical evidence has found that the same treatments used for Directed Attention Fatigue may reduce the symptoms of ADHD in children. However, it is important to note that unlike ADHD, DAF is a temporary condition rather than a clinical disorder.
Research
Ongoing research is examining ways in which the incidence of DAF can be decreased, and suggests that exposure to the natural environment may aid in the reduction of DAF symptoms. A number of researchers have investigated Directed Attention Fatigue recently. Leading contributors include Rachel and Stephen KaplanRachel and Stephen Kaplan
Rachel and Stephen Kaplan are renowned in the field of environmental psychology. Professors of psychology at the University of Michigan, the Kaplans are known for their research on the effect of nature on people’s relationships and health...
, environmental psychologists at the University of Michigan. Rachel and Stephen Kaplan are credited with much of the research relating to Directed Attention Fatigue and were the first to discover that extended periods of focused attention can lead to DAF. Their research suggests that Directed Attention Fatigue can be alleviated with exposure to nature. Together, the Kaplans devised the Attention restoration theory
Attention Restoration Theory
Attention Restoration Theory asserts that people can concentrate better after spending time in nature, or even looking at scenes of nature. Natural environments abound with "soft fascinations" which a person can reflect upon in "effortless attention", such as clouds moving across the sky, leaves...
(ART), which states that a person is better able to maintain focused directed attention after spending time in the natural environment.
A number of studies have been performed that specifically focus on Directed Attention Fatigue experienced by cancer patients. Such studies suggests that the DAF experienced by cancer patients following surgery improves significantly through outdoor restorative activities for 20 minutes per day.
Similarly, it has been discovered that even brief amounts of time spent on a busy metropolitan street can affect one's ability to maintain focus on a given task. Experimental findings suggest that spending time in a natural environment or even looking at pictures of nature can improve maintenance of directed attention.
The Landscape and Human Health Laboratory (LHHL) has completed studies examining the complex relationship between people and their environment. Researchers here discovered the correlation between Directed Attention Fatigue, irritability and aggression. Their findings suggest that people deprived of the restorative effects of nature display more aggressive qualities. Results also demonstrate that communities with several trees and other natural areas tend to be stronger, safer and house residents with a higher attention level. More recent experimentation done at the LHHL suggests that children possessing attention deficits increase their attention level after walking outdoors.
According to this and much other research that has been performed regarding Directed Attention Fatigue, the brain's ability to maintain directed attention is heightened after exposure to nature.