Text 2
I. Read the following text and find the information
about the experiment:
Attention
Some students try to learn while listening to the radio,
talking to friends, and thinking about a coming to-an-end-week.
They believe that studying requires only a little attention. But
when people divide their attention between several different
tasks, performance usually suffers.
In one study that supports this idea, the psychologists
compared what students could do under several conditions.
Subjects in one group listened to a tape of an unfamiliar
passage from a psychology text. At the same time, they pushed
a button whenever a signal light brightened.
Another group of students confronted a more challenging
situation. In addition to monitoring the light and attending to
the unfamiliar material, they had to ignore a familiar passage
presented simultaneously in the other ear by the same voice.
Subjects in the «easy» condition reacted more quickly to the
signal light and comprehended the passage much more better
than the students in the «difficult» condition. While attention
can be divided (especially if one task is familiar and easy),
concentration helps the processing of complex information.
Even something as automatic as reading is not a simple task.
You have to identify written words on a page. You must also
combine words into phrases and sentences and comprehend the
meaning. At the same time, you must think about the meaning
of the material and associate new facts with old information and
experiences.
In short, attention is very important in everyday life. The
ability to attend and its opposite, distraction, have been widely
studied by the psychologists. The number of outstanding people
in psychology studying the phenomenon of attention is rather
impressive, including such names as E.B. Titchener, W. James,
R.S. Woodworth and G. Piaget.
II. Read the text once more and answer:
1. When does performance suffer?
2. What helps the information processing?
3. What is the opposite of attention?
III. Speak on:
1. The experiment described in the text.
2. The methods to promote attention.
IV. Look through the text and say:
1. Which is the best way to remember things.
2. What our memory is compared with in the text.
Ответы
Ответ:
I. Information about the experiment:
•
The experiment compares how well students can perform under different conditions of attention.
•
One group of students listens to a tape of an unfamiliar passage while pushing a button whenever a signal light brightens.
•
Another group of students has to ignore a familiar passage presented simultaneously in the other ear while attending to the unfamiliar material and monitoring the light.
•
Students in the "easy" condition react more quickly to the signal light and comprehend the passage much better than the students in the "difficult" condition.
•
Attention is important in everyday life and has been widely studied by psychologists.
II. Answers to the questions:
1.
Performance usually suffers when people divide their attention between several different tasks.
2.
Concentration helps the processing of complex information.
3.
The opposite of attention is distraction.
III. Speaking:
1.
The experiment described in the text is a comparison of how well students can perform under different conditions of attention. The first group of students listens to an unfamiliar passage while pushing a button whenever a signal light brightens, while the second group of students has to ignore a familiar passage presented simultaneously in the other ear while attending to the unfamiliar material and monitoring the light. The results show that when attention is divided between multiple tasks, performance usually suffers.
2.
Methods to promote attention can include creating a distraction-free environment, setting clear goals and priorities, practicing mindfulness and meditation, taking breaks, and using tools such as timers and task lists to manage focus and productivity.
IV. Answers to the questions:
1.
The text does not provide information about the best way to remember things.
2.
Our memory is compared to a complex process that involves identifying written words on a page, combining words into phrases and sentences, comprehending meaning, and associating new facts with old information and experiences.