Research Bite #7: Attention contagion
By Kasli, Forrin et al
Hello!
This half-term, I am going to try something different. Each week, I will use my favourite AI tool, NotebookLM, to summarise a research paper that has profoundly affected my teaching, coaching, and thinking about education*.
Title: Attention Contagion Online: Attention Spreads Between Students in a Virtual Classroom
Authors: Kasli, Forrin et al
Access the original paper here
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Paper summary
This research article examines the phenomenon of attention contagion in virtual classrooms. The study found that students who see other classmates behaving attentively during an online lecture are more likely to report being attentive themselves, spend less time multitasking, and score higher on a subsequent quiz. The authors suggest that this phenomenon is driven by social contagion mechanisms such as goal contagion (observing classmates’ goals motivates students to pursue their own goals) and conformity (students adjust their behavior to fit in with social norms). The research has significant implications for online teaching practices and suggests that online learning environments may benefit from features that minimize the spread of inattentiveness.
What are the key implications for teachers in the classroom?
Students are very aware of their classmates’ attentiveness, even through small webcam thumbnails.
Attention is highly contagious in virtual classrooms. This means that students who see attentive classmates will be more attentive themselves, and those who see inattentive classmates will be less attentive. The effects of this attention contagion are significant, with students in the study who saw attentive classmates performing much better on a quiz than those who saw inattentive classmates.
Teachers should encourage teaching assistants to be visible and attentive in virtual classrooms. Because attention is contagious, having attentive TAs visible can help spread attentiveness to students.
Instructors should consider asking students to turn on their webcams. This will make it easier for them to see each other and potentially spread attentiveness.
Instructors can reduce inattentiveness by hiding the webcam videos of inattentive students. This could be a feature of videoconferencing software.
Teachers should inform students about attention contagion. This may motivate students to limit their inattentive behaviors to avoid negatively affecting their classmates.
Future research may explore the differences in the strength of attention contagion between in-person and virtual classrooms. It’s possible that in-person classrooms show weaker attention contagion effects due to less salient attentiveness cues.
The sources suggest that even virtual classrooms are social settings where social dynamics influence attention. By understanding these dynamics, teachers can create online learning environments that support student attention and learning.
Quote
Students who watched the lecture with attentive (vs. inattentive) confederates were more attentive, spent less time media multitasking (i.e., checking other websites and their phone), and, importantly, performed meaningfully better on a lecture-content quiz (by over one letter grade: 79% vs. 67%).
What are the implications of this research for you?
What questions does it make you want to ask?
Let me know in the comments below
🏃🏻♂️Before you go, have you… 🏃🏻♂️
… read last week’s Research Bite about the Dunning-Kruger effect?
… read my latest Eedi newsletter about chaining atoms together?
… listened to my most recent podcast with Ollie Lovell where we discuss the Do Now?
… considered becoming a Patreon to support my work?
… considered booking some CPD, coaching or maths department support?
*Note from Craig Barton’s legal team: Research Bites is in no way, shape, or form influenced by Peps Mccrea’s Evidence Snacks.