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Are you a parent or teacher frustrated when children seem distracted during lessons? According to psychologists at the University of Toronto, there’s no need for concern. New research reveals that children can still learn effectively, even when they aren’t paying direct attention.
In a groundbreaking study published in Psychological Science, psychologists from the Department of Psychology in the Faculty of Arts & Science demonstrate that children absorb information just as well whether they are trying to focus or not. In contrast, adults tend to disregard information they are not consciously attending to.
“Don’t get upset with the child who’s bouncing around while you’re reading a story,” says Amy Finn, the study’s senior author and associate professor in the department of psychology. “They’re likely still listening and learning, even if it doesn’t look like it.”
The study involved two experiments where participants were shown drawings of common objects. In one experiment, participants were asked to focus on the drawings; in another, they were instructed to ignore the drawings and complete an unrelated task. Afterward, participants were asked to quickly identify fragments of the drawings they had seen.
The results showed that children learned just as well whether they were asked to pay attention or not. On the other hand, adults performed better when they focused specifically on the drawings, underscoring that adult learning is more dependent on active attention.
This finding highlights a key difference in how children’s brains process information. Unlike adults, whose brains tend to filter information based on their goals and tasks, children absorb all surrounding information, regardless of their focus. This unintentional learning likely explains why children are so adept at picking up languages spoken around them.
“As adults, we filter what we’re learning based on our goals, but kids seem to absorb everything, even when they’re not trying,” says Marlie Tandoc, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Pennsylvania and former lab manager at the Learning and Neural Development lab.
While the study suggests that a child’s brain is always learning, even without focused attention, selective attention still holds significant benefits for adults. The research shows that attentional guidance enhances learning in adults, which is why it’s important for them to know what information is most relevant.
The study’s insights could reshape how parents, teachers, and curriculum designers approach learning. For children, the findings emphasize the value of play and immersive learning experiences. For adults, it reinforces the importance of defining clear objectives at the beginning of a lesson or workshop.
“I’m less worried now when my five-year-old seems distracted,” Finn adds. “I know he’s probably still learning something, even if it doesn’t look like it.”
This study offers valuable insights into the way children and adults process information, and the implications could change how we teach and support learning at every stage of life.
For more information, see: Marlie C. Tandoc et al, Directing Attention Shapes Learning in Adults but Not Children, Psychological Science (2024). DOI: 10.1177/09567976241263347.
