Question

Text 2 I. Read the following text and find the information about the experiment: Attention Some students try to learn while listening to the radio, talking to friends, and thinking about a coming to-an-end-week. They believe that studying requires only a little attention. But when people divide their attention between several different tasks, performance usually suffers. In one study that supports this idea, the psychologists compared what students could do under several conditions. Subjects in one group listened to a tape of an unfamiliar passage from a psychology text. At the same time, they pushed a button whenever a signal light brightened. Another group of students confronted a more challenging situation. In addition to monitoring the light and attending to the unfamiliar material, they had to ignore a familiar passage presented simultaneously in the other ear by the same voice. Subjects in the «easy» condition reacted more quickly to the signal light and comprehended the passage much more better than the students in the «difficult» condition. While attention can be divided (especially if one task is familiar and easy), concentration helps the processing of complex information. Even something as automatic as reading is not a simple task. You have to identify written words on a page. You must also combine words into phrases and sentences and comprehend the meaning. At the same time, you must think about the meaning of the material and associate new facts with old information and experiences. In short, attention is very important in everyday life. The ability to attend and its opposite, distraction, have been widely studied by the psychologists. The number of outstanding people in psychology studying the phenomenon of attention is rather impressive, including such names as E.B. Titchener, W. James, R.S. Woodworth and G. Piaget. II. Read the text once more and answer: 1. When does performance suffer? 2. What helps the information processing? 3. What is the opposite of attention? III. Speak on: 1. The experiment described in the text. 2. The methods to promote attention. IV. Look through the text and say: 1. Which is the best way to remember things. 2. What our memory is compared with in the text.

Answer 1

Ответ:

I. Information about the experiment:

•

The experiment compares how well students can perform under different conditions of attention.

•

One group of students listens to a tape of an unfamiliar passage while pushing a button whenever a signal light brightens.

•

Another group of students has to ignore a familiar passage presented simultaneously in the other ear while attending to the unfamiliar material and monitoring the light.

•

Students in the "easy" condition react more quickly to the signal light and comprehend the passage much better than the students in the "difficult" condition.

•

Attention is important in everyday life and has been widely studied by psychologists.

II. Answers to the questions:

1.

Performance usually suffers when people divide their attention between several different tasks.

2.

Concentration helps the processing of complex information.

3.

The opposite of attention is distraction.

III. Speaking:

1.

The experiment described in the text is a comparison of how well students can perform under different conditions of attention. The first group of students listens to an unfamiliar passage while pushing a button whenever a signal light brightens, while the second group of students has to ignore a familiar passage presented simultaneously in the other ear while attending to the unfamiliar material and monitoring the light. The results show that when attention is divided between multiple tasks, performance usually suffers.

2.

Methods to promote attention can include creating a distraction-free environment, setting clear goals and priorities, practicing mindfulness and meditation, taking breaks, and using tools such as timers and task lists to manage focus and productivity.

IV. Answers to the questions:

1.

The text does not provide information about the best way to remember things.

2.

Our memory is compared to a complex process that involves identifying written words on a page, combining words into phrases and sentences, comprehending meaning, and associating new facts with old information and experiences.

Answer 2

I. Answers to Text 2:

1. Performance suffers when people divide their attention between several different tasks.
2. Concentration helps the processing of complex information.
3. The opposite of attention is distraction.

II. Answers to Text 2:

1. The experiment described in the text involves comparing the performance of two groups of students under different conditions. One group listens to an unfamiliar passage and responds to a signal light, while the other group has to ignore a familiar passage presented simultaneously and respond to the signal light as well.
2. Methods to promote attention can include creating a focused and distraction-free environment, minimizing multitasking, practicing mindfulness and meditation techniques, setting specific goals and deadlines, using visual aids or organizers, and employing active learning strategies such as summarizing or teaching the material to others.

IV. Answers to Text 2:

1. The text does not explicitly mention the best way to remember things.
2. In the text, our memory is compared to "a phenomenon" studied by psychologists, referring to the phenomenon of attention.