

Kinds of attention - prakash
http://enjoymentland.com/2009/05/25/kinds-of-attention/

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jonmc12
Thoughtful article. I've always though of 'bottom-up' attention as a sub-
conscious process - defining the context of our environment. For instance, the
soccer player who knows the rules, the clock state, the position of his
teammates on the field, etc. An experienced soccer player will absorb these
things without active attention.

Top-down attention is when the soccer player has to take all these factors
into account in order to exert focus on some goal-based action. For instance,
focusing on dribbling the ball, or focusing on passing the ball, etc.

One is a sub-conscious process of external awareness. The other is an active
process of focus on an internal goal. I think the right balance is dependent
on experience in the situation.

~~~
raintrees
For me, taking SCUBA lessons are an example. I spent the first, what, 10
lessons? getting to know the equipment, doing the math, etc. before we ever
got close to the pool, let alone the ocean. In return, after a few real dives,
dealing with the equipment became a background process that I no longer
focused on. Instead, I focused on the experience (and my remaining air).

Same as operation of a car, especially a manual transmission.

Meditation, I'm told, is just the ability to reign the mind back in, as its
focus wanders. Which can eventually be redirected to bringing the mind back to
the task at hand...

Ooh, look, new programming language...

