Ms. Wetzel, parents often worry when their child cannot concentrate well at school and is easily distracted. Concentration, attention – what exactly is that?
There are different types of attention. In everyday language, the term usually refers to so-called selective attention, i.e. the ability to pay attention to important information and ignore unimportant information. This is very important because our brain cannot deal with all the information that bombards us from the environment at the same time. Therefore, it is able – more or less well – to block out noises, images and other distractions. So that we can get through traffic safely amidst chirping birds and flashing advertising signs, for example.
