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Human Performance

2.7.4 Distractions in attention

Various aspects of attention can be affected by factors such as exhaustion,

stress, alcohol, and drugs. Below you can read about different factors that can

impact attention.

2.7.4.1 Aging

With age, one typically becomes slower at processing mental information,

which affects the ability to maintain selective attention.

Research has shown that older individuals have a reduced ability to ignore

distractions, making them less effective when dealing with tasks that require
performing two or more activities at the same time. For example, a 20-year-old

may rarely find it difficult to read while music is playing in the background, while

for a 60-year-old, background music can be very distracting.

2.7.4.2 Hyperactivity

Some individuals are hyperactive or suffer from attention disorders.

This typically manifests as difficulty with attentional flexibility. The person finds

it extremely difficult to focus on something and is constantly distracted by
various things in the environment (smells, sounds, visual stimuli) or

psychological factors (various thoughts and emotions).

Due to dysfunction in mental inhibition, the person ends up dealing with too

much irrelevant information and finds it difficult to focus on ongoing activities

because there are always other things vying for attention.

It is necessary for people with these difficulties (typically children) to learn to

develop their attention and concentration from an early age.

Research has shown that regular cognitive training can be used to treat

attention disorders.

Flight Theory PPL(A)(UL)/LAPL Henning Andersen, Midtjysk Flyveskole© 2025 196