The principle of self-regulation is related to selective attention because if focuses on learning how to control one’s impulses toward achieving a certain goal ( Fenton, 2015) . Selective attentive involves sorting through the numerous stimuli that people experience in the environment. This allows the person to focus on just one or a few things that matter at a time. Attention is limited to human beings and it is impossible for a person to process everything they experience as it would cause neural overload and thus the need for this concept ( Cherry, 2014) . Since there are different types of selective attention including auditory and visual, self-regulation is a significant principle as it allows one to learn how to control their attention depending on what is important at the moment. For example, a person may be predisposed to visual selective attention which would make them useless if they need to identify a criminal they saw but did not hear.
I have used selective attention a lot in my life. For instance, when listening to a song in a noisy room or watching a match where there are other people engaged in different activities. This concept helps to limit any distractions. Self-regulation can enhance selective attention by helping to highlight targets using tools such as calendars and lists to set goals. It can also be used to break down large projects into manageable pieces to minimize excess stimuli and ensure that one is focusing on the right thing and not the distraction.
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Spaced Repetition
The principle of practice helps to encode information into the long-term memory by exposing a person to the same stimulus repeatedly ( Fenton, 2015) . Spaced repletion is a skill used to more effectively transfer information into the long-term memory during learning. Cramming something for hours leads to less retention than reviewing the information over spaced intervals. This is because the brain takes some time to form synaptic connections with the new information so that it can stick in the brain ( Britton, 2016) . Therefore, practice should be done in spaced repetition for information to be successfully retained.
In most cases when studying for a test, I always feel like waiting till the day before to go over the information over and over again is the best way to remember. However, during the test, I always find that I have forgotten the most important points. In the future, I can use spaced repetition by going over the information once for about three days to a week before the test as this guarantees more retention and ease of information retrieval.
Habit Formation
Intrinsic motivation is a principle that is related to habit formation because it focuses on giving one a deep rooted personal reason to do something ( Fenton, 2015) . Habit formation involves making novel behaviors automatic and part of one’s routine. They become things that one does without even realizing it such as brushing teeth before taking a shower or drinking water before eating. Existing habits are hard to cease while new ones are also difficult to internalize. The reason for this is that repetition allows most behaviors to be etched into our neural pathways (“ Habit Formation”, n.d.) . Therefore, having intrinsic motivation allows one to consider the benefit a new behavior has for them and they keep doing it until it becomes a habit.
I have always found it difficult to start a new routine such as exercising every morning where I go to the gym for a few days and then stop. However, with intrinsic motivation such as the need to have a positive body image and to fit into my clothes makes it easier for me to keep doing the exercise. In comparison, this works better than when I want to start running because my friend is doing it.
References
Britton, C. (2016, May 10). The science behind spaced repetition. Wranx [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://blog.wranx.com/the-science-behind-spaced-repetition
Cherry, K. (2014, October 3). How We Use Selective Attention. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-selective-attention-2795022
Fenton, N. (2015). Using the 'Top 20 Principles'. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/ptn/2015/09/top-20-principles.aspx
Habit Formation. (n.d.). Psychology Today Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/habit-formation
