Investigation of Attentional Decay: Implications for Instruction
Abstract
Given that attention is a limited capacity resource we are onlyable to selectively attend to a small subset of information atany one time. Endogenously regulating attention during aninstructional activity is effortful and can be challenging forchildren as well as adults. Although improvements inattention regulation have been documented with age, less isknown about the duration of time individuals are able toselectively sustain attention during instruction, due in part tomethodological limitations. The present study leverages eye-tracking technology to provide an objective examination ofattentional decay during a lecture. Adult participants (N=96)watched a geography screencast lecture while a mobile eye-tracker was utilized to measure changes in attention over thecourse of the lecture. Results indicate that attention declinesover time and reductions in attention occur before Minute 15.Implications for instruction are discussed.