Effortless Attention: A New Perspective in the Cognitive Science of Attention and Action (A Bradford Book)

The phenomena of effortless attention and action and the challenges they pose to current cognitive models of attention and action. This is the first book to explore the cognitive science of effortless attention and action. Attention and action are generally understood to require effort, and the expectation is that under normal circumstances effort increases to meet rising demand. Sometimes, however, attention and action seem to flow effortlessly despite high demand. Effortless attention and action have been documented across a range of normal activities-ranging from rock climbing to chess playing-and yet fundamental questions about the cognitive science of effortlessness have gone largely unasked. This book draws from the disciplines of cognitive psychology, neurophysiology, behavioral psychology, genetics, philosophy, and cross-cultural studies. Starting from the premise that the phenomena of effortless attention and action provide an opportunity to test current models of attention and action, leading researchers from around the world examine topics including effort as a cognitive resource, the role of effort in decision-making, the neurophysiology of effortless attention and action, the role of automaticity in effortless action, expert performance in effortless action, and the neurophysiology and benefits of attentional training. Contributors Joshua M. Ackerman, James H. Austin, John A. Bargh Roy F. Baumeister, Sian L. Beilock, Chris Blais, Matthew M. Botvinick, Brian Bruya, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Marci S. DeCaro, Arne Dietrich, Yuri Dormashev, László Harmat, Bernhard Hommel, Rebecca Lewthwaite, Örjan de Manzano, Joseph T. McGuire, Brian P. Meier, Arlen C. Moller, Jeanne Nakamura, Michael I. Posner, Mary K. Rothbart, M.R. Rueda, Brandon J. Schmeichel, Edward Slingerland, Oliver Stoll, Yiyuan Tang, Töres Theorell, Fredrik Ullén, Gabriele Wulf Bradford Books imprint Effortful attention control / Brandon J. Schmeichel and Roy F. Baumeister The benefits and perils of attentional control / Marci S. DeCaro and Sian L. Beilock Effortless motor learning?: an external focus of attention enhances movement effectiveness and efficiency / Gabriele Wulf and Rebecca Lewthwaite The impact of anticipated cognitive demand on attention and behavioral choice / Joseph T. McGuire and Matthew M. Botvinick Grounding attention in action control: the intentional control of selection / Bernhard Hommel Implicit versus deliberate control and its implications for awareness / Chris Blais Effortless attention, hypofrontality, and perfectionism / Arne Dietrich and Oliver Stoll Effortless attention in everyday life: a systematic phenomenology / Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Robert D. Wall Developing an experimental induction of flow: effortless action in the lab / Arlen C. Moller, Brain P. Meier, and Robert D. Wall The physiology of efforless attention: correlates of state flow and flow proneness / Fredrik Ullén ... [et al.] Apertures, draw, and syntax: remodeling attention / Brian Bruya Toward an empirically responsible ethics: cognitive science, virtue ethics, and effortless attention in early Chinese thought / Edward Slingerland Flow experience explained on the grounds of an activity approach to attention / Yuri Dormashev Two to tango: automatic social coordination and the role of felt effort / Joshua M. Ackerman and John A. Bargh The thalamic gateway: how the meditative training of attention evolves toward selfless transformations of consciousness / James H. Austin Training effortless attention / Michael I. Posner ... [et al.] Contents 8 Introduction: Toward a Theory of Attention That Includes Effortless Attention and Action 10 1 Effortful Attention Control 38 2 The Benefits and Perils of Attentional Control 60 3 Effortless Motor Learning? : An External Focus of Attention Enhances Movement Effectiveness and Efficiency 84 4 The Impact of Anticipated Cognitive Demand on Attention and Behavioral Choice 112 5 Grounding Attention in Action Control : The Intentional Control of Selection 130 6 Implicit versus Deliberate Control and Its Implications for Awareness 150 7 Effortless Attention, Hypofrontality, and Perfectionism 168 8 Effortless Attention in Everyday Life : A Systematic Phenomenology 188 9 Developing an Experimental Induction of Flow : Effortless Action in the Lab 200 10 The Physiology of Effortless Attention : Correlates of State Flow and Flow Proneness 214 11 Apertures, Draw, and Syntax : Remodeling Attention 228 12 Toward an Empirically Responsible Ethics : Cognitive Science, Virtue Ethics, and Effortless Attention in Early Chinese Thought 256 13 Flow Experience Explained on the Grounds of an Activity Approach to Attention 296 14 Two to Tango : Automatic Social Coordination and the Role of Felt Effort 344 15 The Thalamic Gateway : How the Meditative Training of Attention Evolves toward Selfless Transformations of Consciousness 382 16 Training Effortless Attention 418 Contributors 434 Index 438