Focus Magazine - Winter 2014 - 26

FEATURESTORY

strategies that are of great interest to
neuroscientists, as they illuminate the
neural underpinnings of cognition,
memory, sensation, social attachment,
causal inference and awareness. The
effects of these tactics are well
documented and have recently been
published in peer-reviewed medical
journals. The use of misdirection is a
means to generate cognitive illusions
such as inattentional blindness, change
blindness, memory illusions and
illusory correlations. Prestidigitators
are able to achieve these effects under
conditions of high scrutiny, show after
show.
So while many would like to believe
otherwise, multitasking is a myth
because attention is a neurologically
limited resource.

Neuroscience Principles
The idea of an attention spotlight
was developed to explain why the brain
takes in certain information, yet filters
out others. We live in a society that
inundates us with stimuli. It is literally

26

impossible to take it all in and process
that has been demonstrated to be
it simultaneously. Dr. Michael Posner
neurologically impossible, even for the
theorized that human attention is like a
King.
spotlight that can be moved around,
Cueing experiments have been used
but focused on a single target only. The
to provide evidence for this theory. In
spotlight metaphor refers to a limited
cueing experiments, participants are
degree of
asked to respond
When our attentional
flexibility. In other
as quickly as they
words, one can
spotlight is focused on can to a stimulus;
adjust the size of
for example, a
something, we are
one's spotlight like
light flashing on
a zoom lens, but it cognitively disregarding anything and off. The light
around it. We become oblivious flashes to the
cannot be divided
across multiple
right or left of a
to even obvious changes.
locations. When
central fixation
our attentional spotlight is focused on
point on a computer screen and might
something, we are cognitively
be preceded by a visual cue. For
disregarding anything around it. We
example, an arrow might come on the
become oblivious to even obvious
screen telling the participant which
changes outside its narrow beam.
way they should direct their attention.
What if multiple objects need to be
As one might expect, the study
attended to simultaneously, like a
participants responded faster if they
flipchart and a projection screen, for
had been told before hand which way
example? In that case, one's attention
to direct their attention. Participants
must alternate from one location to
responded slowest if they had been
another. It's been said that Elvis used to
tricked into directing their attention
watch three television sets at once, but
the wrong way (i.e., if the arrow
pointed to the left, but light
actually showed up on the
right). The implications for
learning are clear: If you
explicitly tell your audience
where and on what topic
you will now direct them to,
their attentional spotlight
will quickly lock on to the
precise target on which you
want them to focus.
Many of you watched the
"SPBT Magic of Learning"
video. (Check it out on
SPBT's YouTube channel at
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=JBmBKZ9dQMg).
You'd be amazed by what
great trainers and great
magicians have in common.
Both must capture and hold
the attention of the audience
in order to create
memorable learning
experiences. At the end of

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Focus Magazine - Winter 2014

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