Generating and Sustaining Attention

Abstract

A few years ago I would announce in my motivation classes that the study of curiosity had been neglected in the educational and psychological literature. But, that seems to have changed! Maybe it’s because of the re-emergence of interest in multimedia, increased concerns about decreases in invention and patent applications in our society, or just because researchers have regained interest in this topic. Whatever the reason, this chapter tries to capture essential information about the concept of curiosity and the related concepts of boredom and sensation seeking. Following this review, the latter part of the chapter contains guidance for applying this knowledge. It describes three major subcategories of curiosity, or the broader concept of attention, and lists a selection of principles and strategies for generating and sustaining learners’ attention and curiosity.