the selection of stimuli. Factors Affecting Selective Attention Several factors influence selective attention. These generally relate to the characteristics of stimuli and the characteristics of individuals. They are generally classified as “external” and “internal” factors.
External factors are related to the features of stimuli. Other things held constant, the size, intensity, and motion of stimuli appear to be important determinants of attention. Large, bright, and moving stimuli easily catch our attention. Stimuli, which are novel and moderately complex, also easily get into our focus.
Studies indicate that human photographs are more likely to be attended to than the photographs of inanimate objects. Similarly, rhythmic auditory stimuli are more readily attended to than verbal narrations. Sudden and intense stimuli have a wonderful capacity to draw attention. Internal factors lie within the individual.
These may be divided into two main categories, viz. motivational factors and cognitive factors. Motivational factors relate to our biological In day-to-day life we attend to several things at the same time. You must have seen people driving a car and talking to a friend, or attending to phone calls on a mobile set, or putting on sunglasses, or listening to music.
If we watch them closely, we will notice that they are still allocating more effort to driving than to other activities, even though some attention is given to other activities. It indicates that on certain occasions attention can be allocated to more than one thing at the same .