Editing Attention span (section)

== Testing the effect on different types of media ==
In an early study of the influence of temperament on attention span, the mothers of 232 pairs of twins were interviewed periodically about the similarities and differences in behavior displayed by their twins during infancy and early childhood. The results showed that each of the behavioral variables (temper frequency, temper intensity, irritability, crying, and demanding attention) had a significant inverse relationship with attention span. In other words, the twin with longer attention span was better able to remain performing a particular activity without distraction, and was also the less temperamental twin.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Wilson RS, Brown AM, Matheny AP | title = Emergence and persistence of behavioral differences in twins | journal = Child Development | volume = 42 | issue = 5 | pages = 1381–1398 | date = November 1971 | pmid = 5167837 | doi = 10.2307/1127905 | jstor = 1127905 }}</ref>

One study of 2600 children found that early exposure to television (around age two) is associated with later attention problems such as inattention, impulsiveness, disorganization, and distractibility at age seven.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Christakis DA, Zimmerman FJ, DiGiuseppe DL, McCarty CA | title = Early television exposure and subsequent attentional problems in children | journal = Pediatrics | volume = 113 | issue = 4 | pages = 708–713 | date = April 2004 | pmid = 15060216 | doi = 10.1542/peds.113.4.708 | citeseerx = 10.1.1.554.172 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=18 April 2004 |title=How TV can 'rewire' brains of tiny tots |url=http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20040418-102127-5656r.htm |newspaper=The Washington Times |access-date=23 October 2008 }}</ref> This [[correlation does not prove causation|correlational]] study does not specify whether viewing television increases attention problems in children, or if children who are naturally prone to inattention are disproportionately attracted to the stimulation of television at young ages, or if there is some other factor, such as parenting skills, associated with this finding.

Another study examining the relations between children’s attention span-persistence in preschool and later academic achievements found that children’s age four attention span-persistence significantly predicted math and reading achievement at age 21 after controlling for achievement levels at age seven, adopted status, child vocabulary skills, gender, and maternal education level. For instance, children who enrolled in formal schooling without the ability to pay attention, remember instructions, and demonstrate self-control have more difficulty in elementary school and throughout high school.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = McClelland MM, Acock AC, Piccinin A, Rhea SA, Stallings MC | title = Relations between Preschool Attention Span-Persistence and Age 25 Educational Outcomes | journal = Early Childhood Research Quarterly | volume = 28 | issue = 2 | pages = 314–324 | date = April 2013 | pmid = 23543916 | pmc = 3610761 | doi = 10.1016/j.ecresq.2012.07.008 }}</ref>

In another study involving 10,000 children (ages eight to 11), fluctuations in attention span were observed during the school day, with higher levels of attention in the afternoon and lower levels in the morning. The study also found that student awareness and productivity increased after a two-day weekend but substantially decreased after summer break.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Batejat |first1=D. |last2=Lagarde |first2=D. |last3=Navelet |first3=Y. |last4=Binder |first4=M. |date=April 1999 |title=[Evaluation of the attention span of 10,000 school children 8-11 years of age] |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10230480 |journal=Archives de Pédiatrie |volume=6 |issue=4 |pages=406–415 |doi=10.1016/s0929-693x(99)80222-x |issn=0929-693X |pmid=10230480}}</ref>

The rise of short-form videos has been on an exponential rise, with platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook Reels having the attention of everyday individuals. These platforms have given new information on the way the public consumes media and the effect it has on attention span. A study was done in 2024 that found that students who consistently watch short-term videos struggle with memory-based academic work. The study was done by researchers collecting data using a survey and a digital attention test to study how social media would affect their habits, the way they use social media, and how their grades are affected by it. The survey asked about the daily usage, the student GPA, and their usual concentration struggles. The students averaging around 3 hours of screen time and with a 2.8 GPA, had a significantly shorter attention span, with heavy users having slower reaction times and being more prone to making errors in their academic life Due to the nature of short-form videos, the brain of the students got used to the constant stimulation of the videos and quick content switches.<ref>Trendeline Haliti-Sylaj, and Alisa Sadiku. “Impact of Short Reels on Attention Span and Academic Performance of Undergraduate Students.” ''Eurasian Journal of Applied Linguistics'', vol. 10, no. 3, Jan. 2024, pp. 60–68. ''EBSCOhost'', research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=f3ca121c-48fc-3f38-a32a-f5db85621fdb.</ref> In conclusion, this article shows evidence of the damage of short-form videos and the correlation between short-form videos and undergraduate students' academic performance.

Platforms that offer such content are designed for the focus to keep the consumer engaged with the content, with a very accurate algorithm that tailors to your content preferences. Studies that have been made on such technology report that the different social media layouts, which are matrix, masonry, and linear, have varying effects. Matrix layouts have an impact on the consumer’s attention span by increasing attention but reducing focus duration. In contrast, linear layouts enhance sustained attention but limit scope, and masonry layouts offer a middle ground of the three layouts.<ref>{{cite journal | doi=10.1080/10447318.2023.2201556 | title=Visual Attention Quality Research for Social Media Applications: A Case Study on Photo Sharing Applications | date=2024 | last1=Yang | first1=Xian | last2=Yang | first2=Bin | last3=Tang | first3=Chaolan | last4=Mo | first4=Xiaohong | last5=Hu | first5=Bin | journal=International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction | volume=40 | issue=14 | pages=3827–3840 }}</ref> These layouts influence the visual attention quality (VAQ), which measures how these designs maintain the user focus and engagement compared to fragmented viewing. These experiments illustrate how certain media might affect users’ attention span by the type of layout users are exposed to.

Another study was done through a validated questionnaire. While it does not show major effect on one's attention span, it creates a useful tool to extract information for future research, as it proved itself to be useful when questioning patients.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Malhotra |first1=Shashank |last2=Pattnaik |first2=Sandeep |date=2024 |title=Questionnaire to Assess the Influence of Short-form Videos on University Students' Attention Span and Concentration: Development and Content Validation |journal=Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research |doi=10.7860/jcdr/2024/75402.19942 |issn=2249-782X|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Although the research done on social media has shown to decrease attention span, not all forms of media have the same impact on the public. For example, videogames don’t stray too far from short-term videos. Studies were made to test different types of video game genres and the impact on people that play them. They made a group of four: action games, sports simulator games, RPG games, and those who don't play games. What they gathered from their research was that the people didn’t differ too much in attention span, but they concluded that the people that played games those who didn’t showed some variation.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Argilés |first1=Marc |last2=González-Fortuny |first2=Xavier |last3=Fonts |first3=Elisabet |last4=Sunyer-Grau |first4=Bernat |date=2023-12-11 |title=Global visual attention SPAN in different video game genres |journal=Scientific Reports |language=en |volume=13 |issue=1 |page=21882 |doi=10.1038/s41598-023-49434-1 |pmid=38072978 |pmc=10710994 |bibcode=2023NatSR..1321882A |issn=2045-2322|hdl=2117/397753 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> The studies found that more hours spent playing action games correlated with better visual attention, as they had better coordinator when playing such genres with those playing sport simulators having similar results.