The Brain's Irrelevance Filter
By Caitrin McCullough
David Griffiths pointed out this article a few weeks ago: Brain 'irrelevance filter' found
Using fMRI scans, scientists located a specific place in the brain that is more active while a person is filtering out distracting information. This is particularly interesting to the Head First team because we're always conscious of potential distractions in our books. Even though we use fun images and jokes, the goal is to always be relevant to the learning. (Sometimes we have to discourage our authors from trying to be "too" funny!) All the different things on a typical Head First page are meant to keep your attention, not distract from the text.
What helps you filter out distractions while you're trying to learn? Are there elements in Head First books you find more distracting than helpful?
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The thing I really like about the Head First series, is the way it cleverly uses motivational techniques to trick the Basal Ganglia into thinking that abstract subjects are essential for survival, allowing them to get past this "legacy brain" and making them easy to learn. I find that music can help distract the parts of the brain that can get bored and thereby helping me to concentrate. But it must be music I know well. Otherwise I am too consciously distracted to take in the material I am learning.