1VISUAL ATTENTION

Impact of Obsessive Compulsive Traits and Frustration on Ability to Focus Visual

Attention
Course:
Name:
Institution:

2VISUAL ATTENTION

1.0 Introduction
1.1 Problem Statement
The ability to select and discard information is one of the basic characteristics of
visual information processing, which results in visual attention. Styles (2005) defined
visual attention as the ability to withdraw from distracting stimuli to allow an individual to
deal with relevant stimuli hence resulting in concentration, focalisation as well as
consciousness. According to Neumann & Sanders (2006) the responses to focus stimuli
are invariably affected when distractors are mapped to the contradictory hands. Some
of the distractors may include, stress, frustration, obsessive-compulsive traits, anxiety
and fear. Research by Stevens & Pashler (2002) established that the level of obsessivecompulsive traits, the level of frustration as well as other distractors determine
attentional focusing ability. High frustration levels lead to the withdrawal of individuals,
which in turn lead to poor visual attention. Obsessive-compulsive traits, on the other
hand, can lead to high visual attention to irrelevant stimuli and low attention to relevant
stimuli.
1.2 Contribution of the study
In the field of academics and human behaviour, this study will try to explain the
differences that exist between people with different abilities to focus visual attention.
According to Luck & Vecera (2002) there is little information on the visual attention and
its relationships with obsessive-compulsive traits and frustration. Previous studies have
generalised factors that affect peoples ability to focus (Schupp et al., 2007). It is
against generalisation of factors affecting the ability to focus that this study has
narrowed down to compulsive traits and frustration and their effects on the ability focus.
Moreover, through cross-referencing with existing literature and practices, the study
offer psychologists knowledge regarding the relationship between the ability to focus
visual attention and compulsive traits and frustration levels evidenced in different
people. This research will bridge the existing gap in the relationship between human
behaviour and visual attention.
1.3 Research Aims, question and objectives
The main aim of this study is to establish the influence of obsessive-compulsive
traits and frustration on the ability to focus visual attention. The research aim will be

3VISUAL ATTENTION

achieved through the following objectives:

To identify effects of obsessive-compulsive traits on the ability to focus visual attention
To identify the effects of level of frustration on the ability to focus
To establish the effect of individual differences in limited capacity and top-down
control on the ability to focus visual attention
To establish attention control view on working memory
Research question
Do obsessive-compulsive traits and frustration affect ability to focus visual attention?
2. Literature review
Attention deals with behaviour control (Horowitz, 2011). Lavie & DeFockert (2005)
established that behaviour is controlled by various external and internal stimuli. Effective
attention system eliminates the impacts of factors in the visual fields, which are
irrelevant, especially if the factors are not compatible with the existing goals. Kramer et
al. (2006) established a two-process visual attention model, which are diffuse and focus
mode. In focus mode, individuals attention is concentrated in one area while in the
diffuse mode it is concentrated all areas in equal proportions. Vazquez et al. (2009)
established that high level of frustrating and obsessive-compulsive traits can affect the
equilibrium of attention model making it shift focus to the diffuse mode or vice versa.
Frustration and obsessive-compulsive traits make people shift their focus to
irrelevant stimuli leading to poor visual attention. Derakhshan & Eysenck (2013)
established that if more attention is focused on high load block target than on low load
block, the resultant stimuli in the peripheral location has to produce low visually evoked
potential. However, Horowitz (2011) differed with this argument by stating that the
impact of distractors such as frustration and obsessive-compulsive traits can be
enervated by focusing attention. Kramer (2006) stated that visual attention can be
focused on various levels. Also, visual attention constraints such as frustration and
obsessive-compulsive traits have the benefit of enervating the impact of distracting
peripheral information. Vazquez et al. (2009) argued that focusing visual attention
boosts processing within the focused area. Therefore, when attention is highly
concentrated in one region, there is great resource density within that area. When the
areas of concentration increase, few resources are left for every unit of the region. This

4VISUAL ATTENTION

can be explained by the high level of attention focused on frustrating on as compared to

other things.

5VISUAL ATTENTION

References
Derakhshan, N., & Eysenck, M. (2013). Emotional States, Attention, and Working
Memory: A Special Issue of Cognition & Emotion. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis.
Flanagan, C. M. (2014). People and Change: An Introduction To Counseling and Stress
Management. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis.
Horowitz, M. J. (2011). Stress response syndromes: PTSD, grief, adjustment, and
dissociative disorders. Lanham, Md: Jason Aronson.
Kramer, A. F., Coles, M. G. H., & Logan, G. D. (2006). Converging operations in the
study of visual selective attention. Washington, DC: American Psychological
Association.
Lavie, N., & DeFockert, J. (2005). The role of working memory in attentional capture.
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 12, 669 674.
Luck, S. J., & Vecera, S. P. (2002). Attention. In H. E. Pashler (Ed.),
Neumann, O., & Sanders, A. F. (2006). Handbook of Perception and Action: Attention.
Burlington: Elsevier.
Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2009). Research methods for business
students. Harlow, England: Prentice Hall.
Stevens, S. S., & Pashler, H. E. (2002). Stevens' handbook of experimental psychology.
New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Perko, R., & Leonardis, A. (January 01, 2007). Context driven focus of attention for
object detection. Attention in Cognitive Systems, 216-233.
Postal, K., & Armstrong, K. (2013). Feedback that sticks: The art of communicating
neuropsychological assessment results. New York: Oxford University Press.
Schupp, Harald Thomas, Stockburger, Jessica, Codispoti, Maurizio, Junghofer, Markus,
Weike, Almut I., & Hamm, Alfons. (2007). Selective visual attention to emotion.
(Fachbereich Psychologie. Fachbereich Psychologie.) Universitat Konstanz.
Styles, E. A. (2005). Attention, perception, and memory: An integrated introduction.
Hove, East Sussex: Psychology Press.
Vazquez, Roberto A, & Sossa, Humberto. (2009). A computational approach for
modeling the role of the focus visual attention in an object categorization task. (BioMed
Central Ltd.) BioMed Central Ltd.

6VISUAL ATTENTION