Effortless Attention A New Perspective in the Cognitive Science of Attention and Action

by Bruya, Brian

• ISBN13: 9780262513951
• ISBN10: 0262513951
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-04-09
• Publisher: Bradford Books

Summary

This is the first book to explore the cognitive science of effortless attention and action. Attention and action are generally understood to require effort, and the expectation is that under normal circumstances effort increases to meet rising demand. Sometimes, however, attention and action seem to flow effortlessly despite high demand. Effortless attention and action have been documented across a range of normal activities--ranging from rock climbing to chess playing--and yet fundamental questions about the cognitive science of effortlessness have gone largely unasked. This book draws from the disciplines of cognitive psychology, neurophysiology, behavioral psychology, genetics, philosophy, and cross-cultural studies. Starting from the premise that the phenomena of effortless attention and action provide an opportunity to test current models of attention and action, leading researchers from around the world examine topics including effort as a cognitive resource, the role of effort in decision-making, the neurophysiology of effortless attention and action, the role of automaticity in effortless action, expert performance in effortless action, and the neurophysiology and benefits of attentional training. Contributors: Joshua M. Ackerman, James H. Austin, John A. Bargh Roy F. Baumeister, Sian L. Beilock, Chris Blais, Matthew M. Botvinick, Brian Bruya, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Marci S. DeCaro, Arne Dietrich, Yuri Dormashev, Laszlo Harmat, Bernhard Hommel, Rebecca Lewthwaite, Orjan de Manzano, Joseph T. McGuire, Brian P. Meier, Arlen C. Moller, Jeanne Nakamura, Michael I. Posner, Mary K. Rothbart, M. R. Rueda, Brandon J. Schmeichel, Edward Slingerland, Oliver Stoll, Yiyuan Tang, Tores Theorell, Fredrik Ullen, Gabriele Wulf A Bradford Book

Author Biography

Brian Bruya is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Eastern Michigan University and Center Associate at the University of Michigan's Center for Chinese Studies. He is the editor of Effortless Attention: A New Perspective on the Cognitive Science of Attention and Action.

Brian Bruya is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Eastern Michigan University and Center Associate at the University of Michigan's Center for Chinese Studies. He is the editor of Effortless Attention: A New Perspective on the Cognitive Science of Attention and Action.

Brian Bruya is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Eastern Michigan University and Center Associate at the University of Michigan's Center for Chinese Studies. He is the editor of Effortless Attention: A New Perspective on the Cognitive Science of Attention and Action.

James H. Austin, a clinical neurologist, researcher, and Zen practitioner for more than three decades, is Professor Emeritus of Neurology at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and Courtesy Professor of Neurology at the University of Florida College of Medicine. He is the author of Zen and the Brain, Chase, Chance, and Creativity, Zen-Brain Reflections, Selfless Insight, Meditating Selflessly, and Zen-Brain Horizons, all published by the MIT Press. For more information, please visit www.zenandthebrain.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
Toward a Theory of Attention That Includes Effortless Attention and Action
Effortful Attention Control	p. 29
The Benefits and Perils of Attentional Control
Marci S. DeCaro	p. 51
Effortless Motor Learning?	p. 75
An External Focus of Attention Enhances Movement Effectiveness and Efficiency
The Impact of Anticipated Cognitive Demand on Attention and Behavioral Choice	p. 103
Grounding Attention in Action Control	p. 121
The Intentional Control of Selection
Implicit versus Deliberate Control and Its Implications for Awareness	p. 141
Effortless Attention, Hypofrontality, and Perfectionism	p. 159
Effortless Attention in Everyday Life	p. 179
A Systematic Phenomenology
Developing an Experimental Induction of Flow	p. 191
Effortless Action in the Lab
The Physiology of Effortless Attention	p. 205
Correlates of State Flow and Flow Proneness
Apertures, Draw, and Syntax	p. 219
Remodeling Attention
Toward an Empirically Responsible Ethics	p. 247
Cognitive Science, Virtue Ethics, and Effortless Attention in Early Chinese Thought
Flow Experience Explained on the Grounds of an Activity Approach to Attention	p. 287
Two to Tango	p. 335
Automatic Social Coordination and the Role of Felt Effort
The Thalamic Gateway	p. 373
How the Meditative Training of Attention Evolves toward Selfless Transformations of Consciousness
Training Effortless Attention	p. 409
Contributors	p. 425
Index	p. 429
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