Abstract
Imagine, when you're fully immersed in the game, you can not hear someone calling you.Each of us will have such a time in life, you are so focused that don't know what happened around completely.For some people, occur frequently in the experience of the depth of focus, the scientists say this is a super concentration.Our research team developed a measuring method of super concentration to test with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, ADHD) group is better than ordinary people themselves often have the feeling of the "super focus".Because many people with ADHD said they often feel overly concentrate, the study found that people with ADHD does have a higher level.This paper introduces the research related to our team for ADHD, discusses why super concentration considered a kind of super ability of ADHD, and how to better help ADHD patients in the future we play a "super ability".
Why do you want to study "super concentration"?
Imagine that you are immersed in a TV show or do you like best a great book, these activities will make you very focused, you don't want to stop and go straight to dinner or to a big sleep, you also can't hear someone calling your name, also didn't realize that your phone is ringing, would you feel "inputs", so unaware of the time, very focused feeling what is known as the"Super concentration"(e.g.,Figure 1).
- Figure 1 - super concentration of real examples.
- Write down each box has a ADHD patients, including three sentences tell us the experience excessive focus in different situation, such as school homework (green), (purple) watching TV, and do a photo project (blue).Orange box in the text tells us: when a person in a variety of enjoyable activities, usually focus now and forgot the time.
Everyone has the experience of "super focus", especially when you are immersed in a thought very interesting activities.To this end, our team would like to know more about the "super focus", because to haveAttention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)The people, they often appear excessive immersion experience.ADHD in individuals is difficult to concentrate on certain things, such as school work, may also appear emotional impulse or difficult to sit.ADHD is common in the United States is about 9.4% of children affected by this, that is to say, one out of every ten children with ADHD.ADHD also can lead to all sorts of problems, including difficult to focus on certain things, often sit still, and action regardless of the consequences.
The first D of ADHD on behalf of the English "deficit", said the meaning of "not enough, lack of".If people with ADHD have super concentration, this may sound very strange.But we believe that people with ADHD have attention, they are just be difficult to control their attention as well.That is to say, ADHD patients rarely said: "well, now I only focus on my math homework, until it is finished".They will be distracted by other things.But on the other hand, people with ADHD may be very addicted to playing computer games such as this kind of hobby, they will be crazy to play games all night long, all night get carried away completely.
People with ADHD often feel oneself have the experience of "super focus".Before our group research, there has been no good way to measure "super concentration", there is only one team try to use the scientific method to test whether ADHD patients are more likely than average to focus [1].The group designed the 11 questions to try to distinguish between people with ADHD and ordinary people in high and low concentration degree performance.We study design based on the research work of the project group [2].
"Super concentration" lingerie questionnaire development
We had such a designThe questionnaire, asking people find themselves in daily life focus what happened frequency (such asFigure 2).In order to design the questionnaire, we first read the relevant literature, and had an interview with five college students with ADHD.We found the three important things: first, every students with ADHD, they often excessive focus on one thing;Second, many students, when they focus, they will forget time, and it is difficult to from the current activities;Third, the feelings of most often occur in the school activities, hobbies, and screen time.Among them, the school activities such as programming, writing a paper or project to do things;Hobbies including sports training, artistic projects, and music creation, etc.Screen time watching TV, playing video games and social media web site and other activities.
- Figure 2 - our team research methods.
- The first half of the chart shows us the steps used to create too much attention to the questionnaire.The lower part shows us how to use the questionnaire (in people with and without ADHD test our hypothesis).
We use the collected information to write the questionnaire about "super focus", and name it "super dedicated questionnaire an adult".The questionnaire标题中加了“成人版”是因为采访对象都是 18 岁以上的人 (具体来说是 20-31 岁的年轻人群体)。首先, 我们开展了Preliminary experiments.Before large-scale studies on the investigation of the small.Preliminary experiments有助于确保后续实验是否能顺利开展, 以及确定开展大规模研究所学人数。
We to 23 patients with ADHD and 228 normal volunteers distributed written questionnaires.The preliminary experiment has two goals: first, to ensure that volunteers will understand our design problems;Secondly, calculate the number of people needed in large-scale studies next.Before the formal study, we proposed the hypothesis, and predict, ADHD patients have higher levels of the focus.In addition, we predict that the individual reports associated with ADHD symptoms, the more its super part focus on questionnaire score will be higher.
In order to filter out attention deficit hyperactivity disorder group, we carry out large sample study included more than 3500 people.Among them, we randomly selected 162 patients with ADHD and 210 normal people to carry out the research.Then, the volunteers to complete our lingerie super focused on the questionnaire.Were collected demographic information, including age, gender, level of education, whether to have mental health problems, as well as about the super absorption ability of self description and evaluation, etc.After completion of all the questionnaire, we collected sample data for the data analysis, to detect whether data support our hypothesis.These tests can help the researchers found that, compared with the normal, ADHD patients in super focus questionnaire score is higher;At the same time, try to answer whether ADHD patients have more strong "super focused on" experience.
Our study found
Our study found that people with ADHD total score higher in the super focus questionnaire (such asFigure 3. A).ADHD patients report, when immersed in school work, hobbies or screen using time, feel more super concentration significantly.Through this questionnaire better able to find their orientation in the "super focus" experience, this shows that compared with normal people, people with ADHD tend to evaluate themselves have the characteristics of super focus.The study also found that there are more people with ADHD its super mindfulness questionnaire score is relatively higher (such asFigure 3 b).
- Figure 3 -(A)In the green column shows the ADHD patients, on average, too much attention to the score.
- In the blue bar graph display is focusing too much on average score of the ordinary people.Star said ADHD patients compared with the ordinary people, people with ADHD excessive attention scored higher on all scales.(B)ADHD symptoms are higher too much attention to score.Each dot represents a person, green point said ADHD patients, dot said of ordinary people.Green and blue line and shadow told us ADHD symptoms and focusing too much on the relationship between, direction and strength.
In general, we collected enough data to support our hypothesis that ADHD patients of super concentration is higher, and the more obvious symptoms, is characterized by more super focused on experience.In addition, we created the measurement questionnaire "super focus".In the face and deal with the issue of ADHD patients, we hope our questionnaire for clinical doctors, therapists, and researchers have guidance value.
"Save" super concentration
So, have "super concentration" is a bad thing?That is definitely not!This is a kind of super ability!Have it, can help us to complete the difficult task, for instance, to complete a great work of art or writing a book.Many volunteers have mentioned in the trials, the attention to help them improve work efficiency, without super concentration, they will never make anything else.Super attention to let them eliminate distractions and focus only on the immediate goals, it is absolutely a amazing talent, can make amazing work.
Some celebrities have ADHD tendencies, including Olympic gold medalist, artists, singers, scientists and so on.Their success is partly due to their super love focus on their career.Super focus is the key to learn to control, if you can manage your attention and make full use of it, maybe you are the next Nobel laureates!
"Super concentration" is not a typical symptom of ADHD, but our research results indicate that the super concentration shall be incorporated into one of the criteria for ADHD.In this way, can help in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD.For example, if a doctor know visitors attention is one of the performance of excessive concentration, rather than just the lack of attention, so that can help clinicians better screening of adult patients with hyperactivity disorder, because the current ADHD adults than harder to determine the diagnosis of children with ADHD.
The concentration andDiversity of neuralThere is also a correlation.Diversity of neural表示不同的大脑联结情况代表了不同大脑的差异, 而非大脑的问题。我们的研究表明, ADHD 患者可能根本不是注意缺陷问题, 而可能具有不同的注意风格。这些风格包括“超级注意力”或其他如创造力方面的优势等 [3].We want for ADHD children build to play the advantage of "unique environment, improve the occasion.As a result, clinical doctors and therapists can help people with ADHD using their super attention.At the same time, the therapist can help patients to identify what is bad "super concentration", such as addicted to video games.What circumstance can play "super concentration", such as the same focus on finishing a great big projects.For people with ADHD, recognition of their super concentration is very important.Many ADHD patients said they life often coexist with super concentration.But so far, has a super concentration into academia has not been a standard to determine whether ADHD.
Looking forward to the next stage
The future research on super concentration and a lot of work to do.In the short term, we hope that as soon as possible to create a simplified version of the questionnaire for ADHD children.At the same time, we also hope to design a game to trigger the individual's attention, so as to be able to see this in real time "super ability" and its synchronization of brain activity.In addition, we also want to know whether the other characteristics individual associated with super concentration, for example, the focus of the person is more creative than the average person.Future research needs further clarify ADHD patients have the brain mechanisms of super concentration.In the long run, the current all these work will help researchers better understand the "super note" and its relationship with ADHD.In the end, we hope to inspire people with ADHD, add more glittering creativity to the world!
The vocabulary
Super concentration (Hyperfocus):writeA state of high concentration, in particular are likely to occur when you are doing a special activity of interest.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD):writePeople with ADHD may appear all sorts of problems, including difficulty concentrating, unable to sit for a long time for a long time, and regardless of all consequences would be reckless.
Questionnaire (Questionnaire):writeCollect information through a series of problems, to the object, usually is a part of the study.
Preliminary experiment (Pilot Study:writeA study on small before the formal research.Preliminary experiments有助于确保实验是否能运作良好, 以及确定开展大规模的研究需要的人群数。
Neural diversity (Neurodiversity):writeEach person's brain is unique.ADHD patients' brains have a unique way of brain work, what's the problem, not their brains, they may just use their own unique ways to pay attention to the world, they are a group of people with abilities!
Conflict of interest statement
The author statement, the study is in no may be interpreted as potential conflicts of interest under the condition of commercial or financial relationships.
Thank you
Thanks for lifelong development research center, brain and mind nerve centre for scientific research, development, population contribution to Chinese translation in this paper.However, Lu Qiuyu thanks to ride on a contribution to the article translation and editing;Thank you left in the west, zhang lei, Zhou Liping contribution to the Chinese review of this article.
The original
writeHupfeld, k. e., Abagis, t. R., and Shah, p. 2019. A Living "in the zone" : hyperfocus in adult ADHD.ADHD Atten Defic Hyperact Disord.Then 1-208 doi: 10.1007 / s12402-018-0272 - y
reference
[1]writeOzel - Kizil, e. t., Kokurcan, a., Aksoy, U., m. Kanat, b. b., Sakarya, D., Bastug, G., et al. 2016. Hyperfocusing as A dimension of adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.Res Dev Disabil.59:35 1-8. Doi: 10.1016 / j.r idd 2016.09.016
[2]writeHupfeld, k. e., Abagis, t. R., and Shah, p. 2019. A Living "in the zone" : hyperfocus in adult ADHD.ADHD Atten Defic Hyperact Disord. 11:19 1-208 doi: 10.1007 / S12402-018-0272 - Y
[3]writeWhite, a., and Shah, p. 2006. Uninhibited imaginations: creativity in adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.Pers Indiv Diff) : 21-31) doi: 10.1016 / j. aid. 2005.11.007