Attention

Investigating the Attention Process

What is Attention?

Attention is a process that involves the selection of stimuli in the environment, parts of one's own body, or contents of experience, which are then highlighted and emphasized, influencing how we perceive and interact with the world.

Attention can be sustained/concentrated or divided/alternated between multiple tasks, and it can also be voluntary (when I decide to direct it toward an object) – a top-down process – or involuntary (when an object attracts it) – a bottom-up process. 

Phenomenologically, it intensifies the clarity of certain aspects of experience, making them more accessible to reflection.

Research Method

To investigate the experience of paying attention, I employed the methodology of microphenomenological self-interview (see here), aiming to understand the process involved in directing attention to different parts of my own body, seeking to identify the pre-reflective micro-gestures underlying this process.

The observation was conducted in two distinct ways: (1) with eyes closed, and (2) with eyes open, fixed on a point ahead. 

The initial posture adopted was supine, with arms extended along the body, slightly away from the trunk, so that the hands were about a palm’s length from it. 

The head remained aligned with the rest of the body. Variants of this posture were also explored, including movements of the head and hands. 

The investigation began with alternating the focus of attention between one hand and the other, then progressing to other parts of the body.

The supine position, as indicated in the guidelines, aims to prevent visual access to the body through peripheral vision. 

In this way, the eyes will not attempt to search for the body, especially in position (2), where the eyes remain open and fixed on a point ahead, which also serves to restrict ocular movements as much as possible, fulfilling the same purpose.

Descriptions  

Proprioceptive Attention

1.With eyes closed

When I direct my attention to a specific part of my body, such as my left hand, and then shift to my right hand, I notice something like a small, subtle internal postural adjustment that seems to help me move my attention from one hand to the other. 

This adjustment appears to occur through subtle movements and tensions in the eye region (which, although closed, are not intentionally fixed on a point, so they are free to move and tend to do so) and in the throat area, just below the mandible. 

It’s as if these areas reposition themselves to orient toward the hand to which I decide to focus my attention. 

At this moment, the perception of the hand's presence manifests as a sensation of being surrounded by a kind of "superficial sandy layer" (for lack of a better term at the moment, but it conveys the idea of lightness, graininess, and a non-continuous texture). 

In other parts of the body, this impression of presence may be more like a sensation of weight or constriction, etc.

When shifting attention from one hand to the other, I also notice a slight discomfort, which seems to arise from the internal movements and changes required to make this transition (for example, in the way I breathe). 

This change happens by shifting attention, already stabilized on one hand, to the other, demanding, in a way, a reconfiguration of this "internal posture"; it’s like a fine-tuning change. 

However, after a few seconds focusing in this new direction, the body gets used to it again, reaching a state of comfort. 

Nevertheless, this discomfort is only felt in these specific circumstances, where I am very still, carefully examining this experience, making me highly sensitive to these small postural adjustments and respiratory changes. 

Normally, I don’t notice or feel discomfort when redirecting my attention.

In breathing, when I inhale, I sense a change in how the air enters my nostrils. For instance, when focusing on the left hand, the air seems to enter, touching the left nostril's lateral wall and the right nostril's medial wall. 

When I focus on the right hand, the opposite happens. These sensations vary depending on the position of the head relative to the body and the part of the body observed. If I keep my head aligned with my body and focus on the left hand, the pattern of air entering the nostrils follows as described above. 

However, if I turn my head toward the observed hand, the movement in the eye and throat regions seems to adjust in that direction, and the air seems to pass, touching the medial walls of both nostrils. 

If I continue turning my head, so that its center crosses the direction where the hand is, the sensation is that the air starts to pass closer to the lateral wall of the opposite nostril. 

When I direct my attention to both hands simultaneously, with the head again aligned with the body, I perceive an opening movement, especially in the throat area, with the air seeming to touch the lateral walls of both nostrils.

2.With eyes open and fixed on a point ahead

The most noticeable difference is that the movement in the throat region becomes more pronounced than the movement of the eyes, as the ocular movements are restricted due to the fixed focus on a point ahead.

In general

When directing my attention to a part of the body, I notice a subtle adjustment or sensation of very slight movements in the eyes (when they are not fixed ahead) and in the throat region, which seem to align towards the area being attended to, thereby aiding this shift in attention. 

When the head is aligned with the body, facing forward, and attention is directed to the lateral regions of the body, the sensation is that the air enters, predominantly touching the lateral wall of the nostril on the side of focus, and/or the medial wall of the opposite nostril. 

Sometimes, one nostril stands out more than the other. When attention is distributed to both sides, the air tends to be perceived as touching the lateral walls of both nostrils. 

When I focus on medial body regions, I perceive the air passing, touching more the medial walls of both nostrils. When I focus on the posterior parts of the body, I sense the air touching the regions of the nostrils closer to the face. 

When focusing on the more forward-projecting parts of the body (like an extended hand forward), I feel the air touching more the tip of the nose. In certain positions, the air seems to pass more through the center of the nostrils, giving the sensation of not touching their walls. 

These sensations at the entry of the air into the nostrils seem to be directly linked to the movement perceived in the throat, which seems to influence how the air enters through them.

When the focus of attention is on a specific part of my head, rather than the rest of the body – such as one of the ears – the throat posture and the perception of how the air enters the nostrils remain unchanged, even with head movement. 

For example, when focusing my attention on the left ear, the throat posture shifts in that direction (to the left and upward), and the air seems to sensitize the lateral wall of the left nostril or the medial wall of the right nostril. 

This sensation persists while I keep my attention on the ear, regardless of the direction in which the head moves. 

This is similar to what happens when I direct my gaze to my index finger (with the hand at ear height and away from the face) and move my head, making the finger follow its movement.

The gaze remains oriented to one side and there are not any changes in breathing – as this seems to depend more on the movement perceived in the throat. 

However, if I keep my gaze fixed on the finger (with my head facing it) and keep the finger still while rotating my head to the opposite side, my eyes shift from the center to the lateral side of the corresponding side and to the medial part of the opposite side. 

It is in a similar way that I perceive what happens in the throat region.

This sensation of air passing, touching the walls of the nostrils, is perceived as a more intense freshness in these areas, which makes it feel as though there is a greater influx of air closer to them (which may or may not actually be the case). 

However, in any case, these regions seem to be somehow more sensitized. This perception on the walls of the nostrils occurs when the act of inhaling seems to be performed right at the entrance of the nostrils, on their outermost part — perhaps precisely where the air encounters a slight resistance. 

If the breathing is more controlled — like in the practice of yoga’s ujjayi pranayama — the perception of this airflow happens deeper inside the nose or, in this case, in the throat. 

It feels as if the air is touching the more internal parts of the walls of the nostrils or way back in the throat, respectively; in this case, the perception of the airflow shifting in various directions is more subtle than when it occurs on the surface of the nostrils.

This movement of creating a slight resistance to the airflow, whether at the more superficial part of the nostrils, deeper inside the nose, or in the throat, also appears to be carried out through movements in the throat region, assuming this posture through the action of its muscles.

Anatomically, this resistance to airflow — which corresponds to the region where the greatest coolness is felt — may be related to the external nasal valves (when the sensation is felt more in the nostrils), the internal nasal valves (when the sensation occurs deeper inside the nose), and the glottis or larynx, in cases where the resistance is perceived in the throat.

ML – Medial wall of the Left nostril, MR – Medial wall of the Right nostril, LL – Lateral wall of the Left nostril, LR – Lateral wall of the Right nostril, AL – Anterior part of the Left nostril, AR – Anterior part of the Right nostril, PL – Posterior part of the Left nostril, PR – Posterior part of the Right nostril, CL – Central part of the Left nostril, CR – Central part of the Right nostril.

In more general bodily and psychological terms, when the breathing is more concentrated in the middle nostrils, it gives the impression that I am more focused, whereas when it moves to both the lateral nostrils, I feel more "energized" and awake, which can be either pleasant or unpleasant.

All this movement of the air perceived during inhalation can also be noticed during exhalation; however, it is much less noticeable, and the sensation of the air is warmer.

Exteroceptive Attention

These movements also seem to manifest in exteroceptive attention, that is, attention directed toward the external environment. 

When I fix my gaze forward and direct my attention to the peripheral elements of my vision, I notice a subtle movement in the throat region, which adjusts toward the object of focus. 

This phenomenon also occurs when I am attentive to the sounds in the environment. I can perceive this, for example, when I perform an exercise in which I alternate my attention between the different elements of a song (drums, bass, guitar, vocals). 

When I am completely still and a sudden sound breaks the silence, I feel activation around my ears (probably in the auricular muscles, which I cannot control voluntarily) and a movement in the throat that seems to project toward another part of the body, transmitting tension to the solar plexus. 

This type of response seems to be related to the startle reaction, which will be explored in more detail when addressing affective aspects.

How to Become More Aware of the Influx of Air and Movements in the Throat Area

Movements of the mouth create a similar effect to the influx of air through the nostrils (since they can also cause a movement in the displacement of the nose), but more intense. 

For example, when I smile, there is a sensation of openness, and the air seems to touch more the lateral walls on both sides. When I pucker my lips, the air seems to pass by and touch more the middle walls or those closer to them. 

If I smile with only one corner of my mouth or shift the pucker to the side, the air stimulates the lateral wall of the corresponding side more.

This can be a good exercise to more intensely perceive the sensation of air flowing alternately between the walls of the nostrils. It can help in noticing this in the redirection of attention, which seems to be a consequence of the more internal movement perceived in the throat area.

Another way to perceive the influx of air and the movements in the throat is to begin inhaling through the nose, trying to inhale the air as if you were doing so through the tip of your nose, at the front part of the nostrils. 

Then, pay attention to the sensations in the nasal walls. Next, exhale. Afterward, repeat the process, but now inhale through the back part of the nostrils, closer to the face, and then observe what you feel. Exhale. 

After that, try to inhale again through the tip of the nose and, while still inhaling, switch to the back part of the nostrils. Observe and identify what was necessary to make the transition from one position to another. 

At this point, repeat the action with the goal of noticing how you perform it.

Next, inhale again through the front part of the nostrils, and shortly after, try to "direct the air" to other parts of the body, such as the top of the head, the feet, the tip of the chin, the hands, among others.

Switch quickly between more distant regions of the body, as when the redirection of attention happens more abruptly and to distant areas, it is easier to perceive the changes than when it is gradual and directed to nearby areas. 

In the latter case, the attention may seem to dissolve at one point and reappear at another, which makes it more difficult to perceive the movement, especially in the eyes and throat. 

Observe how you redirect your attention to these different body regions and continue scanning your body with your attention, noticing the internal movements involved in the process.

If you have difficulty redirecting your attention, touch the part of your body you want to focus on with your index finger. 

For your hands, you can touch the tip of your thumb to the tip of your index finger and notice when your attention shifts to that contact. 

Additionally, you can touch the tip of each finger with the tip of your thumb, paying attention to the moment of contact and noticing the internal movements.

Following these instructions, I informally guided some people who were able to perceive the throat area when directing their attention to different parts of their own bodies. 

One person described this area as something similar to a gyroscope, while also feeling as if it were being pulled by wires, making a gesture of lines pulling at the neck. 

Another person mentioned that this area seemed to function as a command center, and although they had never noticed it before, it was now very perceptible.

The movement in the throat area can also be perceived by attempting to tense the temples without clenching the teeth or eyes. 

Observe if you can do this and how you do it. Then, try to create tension at the top of your head or at the tip of your chin and notice how this movement manifests.

Speculations

These observations highlight that attention has a bodily dimension (corroborating the idea put forward by embodied cognition approaches - Gallagher, 2005).

In this dimension, tensions and internal movements seem to facilitate its direction, occurring in the regions of the eyes and throat.

The sensations of movement perceived in the throat region—just below the mandible—may be related to the hyoid, a small U-shaped bone located precisely in this area (It is known as the 'tongue-bone').

Unlike any other bone in the body, the hyoid does not connect to any other bone; instead, it is suspended by a network of muscles, which grants it significant mobility (It is known as a floating bone). 

The muscles associated with the hyoid include the suprahyoid muscles (digastric, stylohyoid, mylohyoid, and geniohyoid), the infrahyoid muscles (sternohyoid, omohyoid, thyrohyoid, and sternothyroid), extrinsic tongue muscles (hyoglossus, genioglossus, and styloglossus), and the middle pharyngeal constrictor muscle. 

The movements described and observed in this region are similar to those that this bone and its associated muscles are indeed capable of performing.

Considerations

One might wonder how it is possible to pay attention to attention. It's difficult to explain, but there is a distinct perception of this movement as soon as I decide to focus on it. In this case, it’s best to try observing it for yourself. 

You can follow the instructions provided earlier to do so. In general, a helpful metaphor would be to think of it like pointing a flashlight at a specific spot while simultaneously perceiving the movement of your arm as you direct it, or, once it’s pointed, noticing your arm extended.

Note: After perceiving these sensations in this way, they become more noticeable in other moments of everyday life, as well as in different perceptual, cognitive, and affective processes, where they also seem to be present.

In future posts, I will present some scientific data that may help deepen the understanding of the physiological correlates of these sensations.

References

Gallagher, S. (2005). How the Body Shapes the Mind. Oxford: Clarendon Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/0199271941.001.0001

Check out these posts to understand the phenomenological approach used in providing these descriptions of experience: 1) What is Phenomenology; 2) Naturalization of Phenomenology; 3) Micro-Phenomenology; 4) Intersubjective Validation; 5) Embodied Cognition; 6) 4E