This week in Year 12 Psychology, students had an exciting opportunity to learn from a real expert in the field – cognitive neuroscientist Alon Zivony from the University of Sheffield.
Alon delivered a fascinating lecture titled “Why Are We Always Distracted?”, where he shared insights from his latest research on attention and how our brains respond to distractions in everyday life. The session was engaging and interactive, with students taking part in a series of cognitive experiments to test their own perception and focus, with some surprising results!
As well as exploring the science behind attention, Alon also spoke about studying Psychology at university. He gave a helpful overview of the Psychology programme at Sheffield, what university level study involves, and the wide range of career paths it can lead to.
To finish the session, students took part in a Q&A with Alon, asking thoughtful and challenging questions such as:
- Do social media reels have a long-term impact on attention?
- Is everyone born with the same attention span?
- How do attention skills change over a person’s lifetime?
- How do you measure attention objectively and scientifically?
Alon was impressed by the level of curiosity and knowledge shown by the students and is already looking forward to returning next year to share more research linked to their Year 13 topics.
#WeDreamBig
