By Playing Uno, chess or basketball are very effective methods to improve your ability to switch your attention between different tasks or stimuli. Learn more about this cognitive function.
Imagine you’re preparing lunch: while you wash and cut the vegetables for the salad, you also have to keep an eye on the grill to make sure the meat doesn’t burn. You alternate your attention between cutting the ingredients and checking the cooking.
In this scenario, you are using a type of attention that is very relevant in daily life. You can exercise it through sequencing games, such as Simon Says, or rhythm and music games, such as Guitar Hero .
Below, we delve into what alternating attention is, some everyday examples, while exploring different ways to improve it and exercises to assess it.
What is alternating care?
Also known as alternating attention, it is the ability to quickly change the focus of attention between tasks that require different ways of thinking , while controlling what information is being processed at any given time.
In the hierarchical attentional model proposed by Sohlberg and Mateer (1987), this type of attention is located at the fourth level . Each level is more complex than the previous one. This means that to perform a task that requires changing focus, it is first necessary to be able to concentrate on a stimulus (focused attention), maintain that concentration ( sustained attention ) and select what is important ( selective attention ).
Examples from everyday life
We use this executive function every day, even without realizing it. Alternating attention is very significant in everyday life, whether at work, at home, in social or academic situations. Let’s review some of them:
- Driving : Drivers must alternate their attention between different stimuli, such as traffic signs, crossing pedestrians, and other vehicles, while maintaining control of the steering wheel and speed.
- Cooking : During recipe preparation, alternating attention is needed to follow the steps of the process, monitor different cooking times, and coordinate multiple ingredients and utensils .
- Playing sports : For example, in football, players must quickly switch their attention between the position of the ball, the movements of their teammates and the movements of their opponents.
- Studying : Students use this type of attention constantly in class when listening to the teacher, while taking notes.
What happens if this cognitive function is affected?
When this type of attention is impaired, we face considerable challenges in responding to environmental demands. We may need much more time to shift our attentional focus from one stimulus to another , which impacts our household chores, work productivity, academic performance, and ability to interact quickly in social situations. Therefore, it is crucial to practice and strengthen this cognitive function.
How to improve alternating care?
While the presence of certain cognitive illnesses or neurobiological disorders, such as ADHD , may make improving alternating attention more difficult to achieve or require an adapted approach, most people can work on this type of attention with effort and appropriate techniques, such as those mentioned below:
Attention games
Games are an excellent tool for exercising cognitive functions in a playful and pressure-free way . You can strengthen your attention span by participating in games requiring rapid changes between different tasks or stimuli. Some examples include the following:
- Role-playing games.
- Strategy games, such as chess .
- Rhythm and music games, like Guitar Hero .
- Sequence games, such as Simon Says or Uno.
Sports activities
Sports like basketball, tennis or football challenge you to shift your focus depending on the pace of the game . With multiple stimuli in play, you must prioritize what is most relevant at any given moment and face quick decisions. This way, you improve your mental agility and your ability to decide and act in fractions of a second.
Attention Process Training (APT)
Attention Process Training (APT) is a therapeutic method used by mental health professionals for cognitive rehabilitation in people who have suffered a brain injury.
It is carried out in several structured sessions where patients perform tasks designed to develop their ability to focus on relevant information while ignoring distractions. For example, listening to audio cues with numbers or other information and responding only to specific stimuli.
As the patient progresses and demonstrates good mastery of the initial tasks, he or she progresses to a more challenging version of the APT that includes alternating attention. For example, the patient is asked to alternate between listening to the names of sports and the names of animals.
This type of intervention is used for significant attention problems and requires professional supervision to adapt and guide the process according to each person’s needs.
How is this type of care evaluated?
There are various tests and techniques designed to measure the ability to switch between different stimuli and tasks efficiently and quickly. Some of them are useful in detecting signs of cognitive decline that could suggest dementia . These include:
Trail Making Test (TMT)
It is a neuropsychological test that assesses several cognitive functions, including alternating attention. It consists of two parts: TMT-A and TMT-B. In the first part, the participant must connect numbers in consecutive order. In the second part, he or she must alternate between numbers and letters, connecting them in numerical-alphabetical order, which requires changing focus between different types of information .
Stroop test
The Stroop test is a test with words printed in different colors, where the color may or may not match the meaning of the word. For example, the word “green” may be printed in red ink. The participant’s task is to ignore the meaning of the word and name the color of the ink as quickly as possible.
Symbols and Digits Test (SDMT)
Pairs of symbols (such as geometric shapes) and digits (numbers 1 to 9) are presented to the participant and he or she is asked to match each symbol with its corresponding number on a chart within a time limit.
The ability to switch attention is assessed indirectly in the SDMT, for example by observing how the participant handles the task of matching symbols and digits. However, the test focuses more on assessing processing speed and detecting possible brain impairments in children and adults.
Attention switching or multitasking ?
True multitasking is often considered to be limited in humans, as our brains quickly switch from one task to another rather than doing them all at the same time.
Scientists suggest that what we often call multitasking actually involves rapidly switching your attention between different activities . For example, when you check email or sit in a meeting, you switch your attention between one thing and another, but you don’t do both at the same time. It’s like you’re playing mental ping-pong .
A cognitive function that you can exercise in your daily life
You practice mindfulness in your daily life to adapt to the demands of the moment — without even realizing it — such as when cooking, studying, or driving. If you want to strengthen it more consciously, you can do so through games, sports, or specialized training.
However, it is important not to abuse this ability . When we use it excessively and indiscriminately, we can experience mental fatigue and difficulty maintaining concentration on a single activity or stimulus. Learn to manage it carefully.