Attention span


the interval during which an individual can concentrate, as on a single object, idea, or activity.
Contemporary Examples

The mission of the press is to spread culture while destroying the attention span.
The Kaffeehaus Canon George Prochnik December 30, 2010

The more interactive the medium, the more it will stunt the attention span.
Pulling the Plug on English Departments David Masciotra July 27, 2014

And, she said with a chuckle, he has an attention span of 11 minutes.
Isabel Allende’s Controversial New Thriller Jane Ciabattari February 22, 2014

And so the apparent solution struck at the RNC is to skip over the facts as if we all have the attention span of gnats.
The RNC’s Block-and-Blame Game John Avlon May 2, 2013

Not really … I dabble in things, but my attention span is just not very good.
Christopher Walken on ‘Seven Psychopaths,’ Natalie Wood, & More Marlow Stern October 11, 2012

“I mean an agenda in terms of an attention span,” he tells me in a video interview.
Sesno Wants Media Agenda on Guns Howard Kurtz December 17, 2012

Historical Examples

Required reading for classes, according to teachers, cannot exceed the attention span of their pupils.
The Civilization of Illiteracy Mihai Nadin

The attention span of students in high school and universities is not much shorter than that of their instructors: one typed page.
The Civilization of Illiteracy Mihai Nadin

Read Also:

  • Attentional

    the act or faculty of attending, especially by directing the mind to an object. Psychology. a concentration of the mind on a single object or thought, especially one preferentially selected from a complex, with a view to limiting or clarifying receptivity by narrowing the range of stimuli. a state of consciousness characterized by such concentration. […]

  • Attentive

    characterized by or giving ; observant: an attentive audience. thoughtful of others; considerate; polite; courteous: an attentive host. Contemporary Examples In the meetings, Rubio was an attentive listener, according to one person in the room. Marco Rubio Really Loves Israel and Has Pictures to Prove It Eli Lake February 20, 2013 By 1981, Zia ul-Haq […]

  • Attentively

    characterized by or giving ; observant: an attentive audience. thoughtful of others; considerate; polite; courteous: an attentive host. Contemporary Examples I also find it kind of hard to believe that the conference and convention industry listens that attentively to the president. What Happens in Vegas Michael Tomasky September 23, 2012 Historical Examples Her tone struck […]

  • Attentiveness

    characterized by or giving ; observant: an attentive audience. thoughtful of others; considerate; polite; courteous: an attentive host. Contemporary Examples So I think that that kind of concentration, and focus, and attentiveness, is hard to come by. Philip Roth Unbound: Interview Transcript The Daily Beast Video October 29, 2009 attentiveness and Dignity While we enjoy […]

  • Attently

    ; intent. adj. late 15c., “attentive,” from Latin attentus, past participle of attendere (see attend). As a noun, “intention, aim” (early 13c.), from Old French atente “act of attending,” from fem. of Latin attentus.


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