Hyper and Deep Attention: The Generational Divide in Cognitive Modes

Networked and programmable media are part of a rapidly developing me diascape transforming how citizens of developed countries do business, conduct their social lives, communicate with one another, and?perhaps most significant?think. This essay explores the hypothesis that we are in the midst of a generational shift in cognitive styles that poses challenges to education at all levels, including colleges and universities. The younger the age group, the more pronounced the shift; it is already apparent in present-day college students, but its full effects are likely to be realized only when youngsters who are now twelve years old reach our institutions of higher education. To prepare, we need to become aware of the shift, understand its causes, and think creatively and innovatively about new educational strategies appropriate to the coming changes. The shift in cognitive styles can be seen in the contrast between deep attention and hyper attention. Deep attention, the cognitive style tradi tionally associated with the humanities, is characterized by concentrating on a single object for long periods (say, a novel by Dickens), ignoring out side stimuli while so engaged, preferring a single information stream, and having a high tolerance for long focus times. Hyper attention is character ized by switching focus rapidly among different tasks, preferring multiple information streams, seeking a high level of stimulation, and having a low tolerance for boredom. The contrast in the two cognitive modes may be captured in an image: picture a college sophomore, deep in Pride and