Attention Capture and Effective Warning

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Author(s): Amy Wenxuan Ding (University of Illinois, USA)
Copyright: 2009
Pages: 11
Source title: Social Computing in Homeland Security: Disaster Promulgation and Response
Source Author(s)/Editor(s): Amy Wenxuan Ding (University of Illinois, USA)
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60566-228-2.ch001

Keywords: Information Science Reference / IT Security and Ethics / Media & Communications / Social Networking

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Abstract

The term “attention” in psychology is defined as (1) the act or state of attending, especially by applying the mind to an object of sense or thought, and (2) a condition of readiness for such attention (Attention, 2007). Drawing on research carried out for decades in psychology that explores the human attention mechanism to understand a variety of attentional phenomena, such as attention to dimensions and objects, selective listening, task switching, and so forth (e.g., Bundersen, 1990; Heinke & Humphreys, 2003; Logan, 2002; Luce, 1963; Ratcliff, 1978; Ratcliff et al. 1999; Reeves & Sperling, 1986; Shepard, 1957; Shih & Sperling 2002), we examine how attention might be captured and thus identify factors that characterize the effectiveness of a warning advisory. In this context, we use attention to describe awareness, a concentration of the mind on a single object, and a state of consciousness characterized by such concentration and the capacity to maintain selective concentration. Asking a person to pay attention to something implies that the person is aware of this “something” first, and then concentrates his or her mind on it. Therefore, we begin our discussion by defining awareness in this section.

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