Concept in Definition ABC

The word distraction has two meanings. It is said that there is a distraction when a person stops paying attention in an activity. It is also used in another sense, when someone is entertained by doing an activity that is pleasant and enjoyable.

Having a distraction is something that happens very frequently in daily life and is a totally everyday act. Distraction occurs in relation to the phenomenon of attention. The psychology studies all kinds of human behavior and attention is analyzed because it is decisive in any intellectual activity. Through the senses we perceive what surrounds us. External stimuli and the ability to perception they are the two elements that intervene in attention. Let us place ourselves imaginatively in a classroom. We are a student who listens to the history teacher. Through perception, our senses participate in paying attention to the teacher's words. After a few minutes, our interest decreases because what the teacher tells us is boring. Well, the moment in which attention is diminished or altered is precisely the distraction.

What elements cause distraction in attention? The most frequent is the lack of intensity of the stimulus. But there are many other aspects that can cause distraction: lack of interest, mood, repetition of the message, size of the observed element and all kinds of factors external and internal who participate in the care process.

Every day we receive advertising messages. In a few seconds these messages try to capture our interest and each element of the ad is designed to attract the attention of the consumer: images, music, colors, words... Advertisers are well versed in the techniques for maintaining attention without any distraction from potential buyers. A good advertising message is one that translates into economic benefits of the brand that is advertises and, ultimately, the effectiveness of the ad will depend on the level of distraction of the consumer. If there is no distraction, the attention is intense, the ad is assimilated and the product is consumed.

In recent decades there has been a lot of talk about a problem that affects distraction. It is the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (known by the acronym ADHD). It is a situation typical of the school period. There are kids who are easily distracted and this conduct affects their school performance. Specialists in human behavior (especially psychologists and psychiatrists) try to correct this problem. There is no general agreement on the factors that trigger ADHD, although it seems that different aspects are involved (genetic, environmental factors and even a high consumption of sugar ).