Paper Title
Editorial: New paradigm of attention and attention training: Mechanisms and applications
Keywords
- Attention Paradigms
- Voluntary Attention
- Involuntary Attention
- Mindfulness Attention
- Fluid Attention
- Attention Training
- Emotion Regulation
- Stress Reduction
- Mental States
- Effortless Attention
- Consciousness
- Autonomic Control
- Mindfulness Techniques
- Attention Mechanisms
- Mental Disorders
- attention
- effort
- emotion
- mindfulness
Article Type
Research Article
Journal
Research Impact Tools
Publication Info
Volume: 17 | Pages: 1122941
Published On
January, 2023
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Abstract
In recent years, the attentional research paradigms have been broadened from traditional laboratory studies to include rigorous theoretical explorations of attention and clinical application such as meditation. For example, attention was thought to include voluntary and involuntary attention, with the voluntary attention being “endogenously selective”; while involuntary attention being “exogenously reflexive.” Currently, some psychologists propose that the paradigm of voluntary and involuntary attention should be revised to include a third kind of sustained attention (Bruya and Tang; Yuan, 2020a; Tang et al., 2022). In the traditional voluntary/involuntary attention, voluntary attention is regarded as effortful goal-directed, in contrary involuntary attention is drawn to outside stimulation effortlessly. However, it is interesting to note that recent scientists have suggested a third kind of attention, which uses mindfulness to manipulate attention and voluntarily focus attention to the extrovert stimulations without efforts. This kind of attention training methods has been extensively accepted as an indispensable and effective method for emotion regulation and stress reduction (Yuan, 2020b). Thus, there might be a third kinds of attention, like what the paper in this topic by Bruya and Tang, who proposed a kind of “fluid attention” or post-voluntary attention. This kind of sustained attention is voluntary, but effortless, which was drawn to the outside stimulations, like involuntary attention. This kind of mindfulness attention is characterized by dispassionate, non-evaluative and sustained moment-to-moment awareness of perceptible mental states, including continuous, immediate attention to physical sensations and affective states (Tang et al., 2015; Gu et al., 2020, 2022). Thus, there might be three kinds of attention, voluntary attention is controlled by will via top-down process, involuntary attention is motivated via emotional responses by extra stimulations, and mindfulness attention is due to will power to extrovert simulations.
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