Books on the topic 'Focal attention'

Attention can be placed on others. Now it is you on whom one’s attention is placed, and what one accesses in focusing on you are your mental states. One does not experience them directly; rather, your movements provide focal attention with a causal channel: they ‘intimate’ your thoughts to one. Empathy is analogous to listening to another, itself a kind of attention. So empathy, one’s awareness of another in their otherness, is an attentional state. While phenomenologists have claimed that empathy, the ability to apprehend the beliefs and emotions of others, is a perceptual skill, this chapter will argue instead that empathy is a distinct kind of attention, attention through embodied comportment to the feelings, commitments, and wishes of others.

Attention deficits are a frequent and particularly disabling consequence of many neurological disorders, from patients with focal brain lesions through to individuals with traumatic brain injury or neurodegenerative conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease. They are often associated with apparent confusion, fatigue, irritability, and increased time and effort to perform even simple everyday tasks, and constitute a real challenge for rehabilitation. In many cases, attention deficits may be crucial factors underlying failures of memory and higher cognitive functions, contributing to difficulties in resuming previous activities and independent daily living. Here the authors first consider four aspects of attention—selective, sustained, executive, and divided—together with brain regions and networks considered to underpin normal attention and disorders of attention. The authors focus on focal brain lesions, traumatic brain injury and Parkinson’s disease as important examples illustrating the effects of different brain pathologies on attention function.

Attention is of fundamental importance in the philosophy of mind, in epistemology, in action theory, and in ethics. This book presents an account in which attention, not self, explains the experiential and normative situatedness of human beings in the world. Attention consists in an organization of awareness and action at the centre of which there is neither a practical will nor a phenomenological witness. Attention performs two roles in experience, a selective role of placing and a focal role of access. Attention improves our epistemic standing, because it is in the nature of attention to settle on what is real and to shun what is not real. When attention is informed by expertise, it is sufficient for knowledge. That gives attention a reach beyond the perceptual: for attention is a determinable whose determinates include the episodic memory from which our narrative identities are made, the empathy for others that situates us in a social world, and the introspection that makes us self-aware. Empathy is other-directed attention, placed on you and focused on your states of mind; it is akin to listening. Empathetic attention is central to a range of experiences that constitutively require a contrast between oneself and others, all of which involve an awareness of oneself as the object of another’s attention. An analysis of attention as mental action gainsays authorial conceptions of self, because it is the nature of intending itself, effortful attention in action, to settle on what to do and to shun what not to do.

Delirium and dementia affect one or more cognitive domains with a distributed neural basis—attention, memory, and executive function—in some instances accompanied by more focal cognitive deficits. Patients with one, or both, of these conditions constitute the commonest presentation in behavioural neurology and in geriatric psychiatry. This chapter first describes the core characteristics and causes of delirium. This is followed by a description of the major causes of dementia notably, Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, Huntington’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and progressive supranuclear palsy. These are contrasted with pseudodementia, with mention of the causes of rapidly progressive dementia, and differential diagnosis of delirium and dementia.

Since coming to the attention of a broader Russian public after the pro-Putin youth movement Walking Together stirred up a storm over Blue Lard in 2002, Vladimir Sorokin has indisputably become one of the most prominent and prolific writers in contemporary Russia, and remains surrounded by an aura of political dissent. The first book in English dedicated to Sorokin’s œuvre, this volume discusses language as the main focal point of his writing. The contributions focus on the multifaceted dimensions of language(s) and metalanguage(s) in Sorokin’s works, including archaisms and neologisms, foreign terms or intercultural stereotypes, colloquial and vulgar language, metadiscursive distance and the materialization of metaphors. The volume also includes a roundtable discussion on translation, in which Sorokin himself takes part.

This chapter explores the second component of assessment in patients with suspected cognitive dysfunction: testing cognitive function at the bedside. The first part of the examination should assess distributed cognitive functions, notably orientation and attention, episodic and semantic memory, and frontal executive function (initiation in the form of verbal fluency, abstraction, response inhibition, and set shifting); deficits in these indicate damage to particular brain systems, but not to focal areas of one hemisphere. The second part of the assessment deals with localized functions, divided into those associated with the dominant (i.e. the left side, in right-handers) and non-dominant hemispheres. The former relates largely to tests of spoken language with supplementary tests of reading, writing, calculation, and praxis when applicable. Testing right hemisphere function focuses on neglect (personal and extrapersonal), visuospatial and constructional abilities, and the agnosias including object and face agnosia.

During the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, the soul, its nature, and its relationship with the body became focal points for religious, medical, political, and ethical debates, and the choice of vocabulary itself had profound implications in how human and divine nature were represented in early modern English writings. The perceived complexities of the relationship between the body and the soul as delineated in competing schools of classical philosophy provided English writers a fertile ground for analysing the human experience in general and the nature of individual identity. Debates over what happens to the body and the soul at death and at resurrection permeate the writings of the period. During the English Civil War years they were markers of both political and religious affiliations, and this chapter demonstrates how the medical turn in the late seventeenth century focused increasing attention on the separation of soul and mind.

Chapter 8 draws attention to meta-governance and how the governing of reforms is affected by how reform processes are organized. The chapter asks how reformers can ensure support for large-scale reforms that are likely to attract profound resistance. The focal point of the chapter is a study of geographical decentralization of central government agencies. The chapter argues that successful meta-governance can be provided for by careful organization of the reform process. The empirical case studied is a large-scale relocation of government agencies in Norway during the early 2000s. In carrying out this reform, the government succeeded against the odds. Most importantly, research has revealed huge constraints on the instrumental control of large-scale reforms in general and of geographical relocation of organizations in particular. Yet, this chapter shows that large-scale reforms can be successfully achieved through careful crafting of the reform organization.

With a complex assemblage of largely intact ecosystems that support the earth's greatest diversity of life, the Amazon basin is a focal point of international scientific interest. And, as development and colonization schemes transform the landscape in increasing measure, scientists from around the world are directing attention to questions of regional and global significance. Some of these qustions are: What are the fluxes of greenhouse gases across the atmospheric interface of ecosystems? How mush carbon is stored in the biomass and soils of the basin? How are elements from the land transferred to the basin's surface waters? What is the sum of elements transferred from land to ocean, and what is its marine "fate"? This book of original chapters by experts in chemical and biological oceanography, tropical agronomy and biology, and the atmospheric sciences will address these and other important questions, with the aim of synthesizing the current knowledge of biochemical processes operating within and between the various ecosystems in the Amazon basin.

This article examines the hitherto unquestioned consensus in Judaic studies that Judaism embraces a positive attitude towards sexuality. Grounded in the new scholarly trends of cultural and gender analysis as well as feminist critique and their impact on Jewish studies, it singles out four focal issues: sexuality in ancient rabbinic thought, to which the most scholarly attention has been directed; and issues in modern Halakhah that have just begun to inform scholarly research: the ethos of modesty and the construction of the female body; homosexuality and lesbianism; and reproduction and sexuality. The discussion reflects the tension between these two scholarly trends, and between the conceptual-theological stratum of Judaism and its reflection in the practical-legal sphere of Jewish law (Halakhah). This examination of Jewish attitudes towards sexuality, in light of the new scholarship, leads to the conclusion that although Judaism affirms sexuality, this cannot be grasped in a simple, superficial, or monolithic fashion.

This chapter covers what is known about the possible mechanisms of neurocognitive dysfunction in patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES). It begins with a review of all research examining possible cognitive deficits in this population. Cognitive research in PNES is often obscured by noise created by a host of comorbid conditions (e.g., depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain) and associated issues (e.g., effects of medications and psychological processes that can compromise attention or broader cognition). More recent studies employing performance validity tests raise the possibility that studies finding broad cognitive problems in PNES may be highlighting a more transient phenomenon secondary to these comorbid or secondary factors. Such dysfunction would likely improve with successful management of PNES symptomatology, yet the effects of even transient variability likely compromises daily function until these issues are resolved. Future research must combine the use of neuropsychological testing, performance validity measures, psychological theory, neuroimaging analysis, and a thorough understanding of brain–behavior relationships to address whether there is a focal neuropathological syndrome associated with PNES.

An elucidation of ideas and insights generated by the paradigm of "early vision," presented in the form of dialogues. Renowned for his work in depth perception and pattern recognition, Bela Julesz originated the techniques—involving computer-generated random-dot stereograms, cinematograms, and textures—that resulted in the subfield of human psychology called "early vision." In this book, Julesz elucidates the ideas and insights generated by this exciting paradigm in a series of dialogues between Julesz the naif and Julesz the scientist. These playful, personal, deeply informed dialogues, though challenging, are never beyond the reach of the general scientific reader interested in brain research. Among the topics covered are stereopsis, motion perception, neurophysiology, texture and auditory perception, early vision, visual cognition, and machine vision. Julesz's work on early vision and focal attention is the basis of the discussions, but he is equally at ease recounting his debate with John Searle and describing his interactions with Salvador Dali. He also addresses creativity, mathematics, theories, metascientific questions, maturational windows, and cortical plasticity, relates his current work to past findings and ideas, and considers how some strategic questions can be solved with existing tools.

This book provides clinicians with a theoretically motivated guide to the assessment of patients with cognitive complaints. Its main goal is to teach physicians, psychiatrists, and psychologists how to assess cognition in the clinic or at the bedside based around the instrument, the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination (ACE), developed in Cambridge over many years and subsequently refined and modified. The latest version is the ACE-III, which is freely available and has been translated into many languages. The early chapters provide a framework in which aspects of cognition are considered as those with a distributed representation in the brain (such as attention and memory) versus those with more focal representation (such as language, praxis, and spatial abilities). There are descriptions of the major syndromes encountered in clinical practice, notably delirium and dementia, which have been updated to incorporate recent discoveries. There follows the all-important section on history taking and the ‘meat of the book’: how to perform bedside cognitive testing. The ACE-III is contrasted to other commonly used brief standardized mental test schedules (such as the Montreal Cognitive Examination). Sixteen cases with a full range of cognitive disorders illustrate the method recommended. Finally, there is an appendix outlining the range of formal tests commonly used in neuropsychological practice.

Seven million youngsters--one in four adolescents--have only limited potential for becoming productive adults because they are at high risk for encountering serious problems at home, in school, or in their communities. This is one of the disturbing findings in this unique overview of what is known about young people aged 10 to 17 growing up in the United States today. The book explores four problem areas that are the subject of a great deal of public interest and social concern: delinquency, substance abuse, teen pregnancy, and school failure. In examining these problem areas, Dryfoos has three objectives: to present a more cogent picture of adolescents who are at risk of problem behaviors and where they fit in society; to synthesize the experience of programs that have been successful in changing various aspects of these behaviors; and to propose strategies for using this knowledge base to implement more effective approaches to helping youngsters succeed. Among the key concepts emerging from this study are the importance of intense individual attention, social skills training, exposure to the world of work, and packaging components in broad, community-wide interventions. Schools are recognized as the focal institution in prevention, not only in regard to helping children achieve academically, but in giving young people access to social support and health programs. The author also proposes comprehensive youth development initiatives at the local, state and national level, based on programs shown to be effective in real practice. This landmark, state-of-the-art study represents an indispensable resource for anyone interested in the welfare and current problems of youth, including psychologists, sociologists, school administrators, state and federal officials, policymakers, and concerned parents.

Archives and the Cultural Heritage The edited volume Archives and the Cultural Heritage focuses on archives as institutions and to their tense relationship with archives as material. These dynamics are discussed in respect of the past, the present, and the future. The focus lies in the mechanisms the Finnish archive institutions have utilised when taking part in forming the cultural heritage and in debating the importance of the private archives in society. Within social sciences and history from the early 1990s onwards, the effects of globalisation have been seen as a new focal point for research. Momentarily, the archives saw the same paradigm shift as the focus of the archival studies proceeded from state to society. This brought forth the notion that the values of society are reflected in the acquisition of archival material. This archival turn draws attention to the archives as entities formed by cultural practices. The volume discusses cultural heritage within Finnish archives with diverse perspectives and from various time periods. The key concepts are cultural heritage and archives – both as institution and as material. Articles review the formation of archival collections spanning from the 19th to the 21st century and highlight that the archives have never been neutral or objective actors; rather, they have always been an active process of remembering and forgetting, a matter of inclusion and exclusion. The focus is on private archives and on the choices that guided the creation of the archives and the cultural perceptions and power structures associated with them. Although private archives have considerable social and research value, and although their material complements the picture of society provided by documentary data produced by public administrations, they have only risen to the theoretical discussions in the 21st century. The authors consider what has happened before the material ends up in the archive, what happens in the archive and what can be deduced from this. It shows how archival solutions manifest themselves, how they have influenced research and how they still affect it. One of the key questions is whose past has been preserved and whose is deemed worthy of preservation. Under what conditions have the permanently preserved documents been selected and how can they be accessed? In addition, the volume pays attention to whose documents have been ignored or forgotten, as well as to the networks and power of the individuals within the archival institution and to the politics of memory. The Archives and the Cultural Heritage is an opening to a discussion on the mechanisms, practices and goals of Finnish archival activities. It challenges archival organisations to reflect on their own operating models and to make visible their own conscious or unconscious choices. It raises awareness of the formation of the Finnish documentary cultural heritage, produces new information about private archives and participates in the scientific debate on the changing significance of archives in society. The volume is related to the Academy of Finland research project “Making and Interpreting National Pasts – Role of Finnish Archives as Networks of Power and Sites of Memory” (no 25257, 2011–2014/2019), University of Turku. Project partners Finnish Literature Society (SKS) and Society of Swedish Literature in Finland (SLS).