ABSTRACT
Our powers of attention are important both as the beginning of learning experiences and as part of maintaining them. Attention is a root process of curiosity. It is often thought of as 'concentrating' on information, but to be useful there has to be a balance of finding and focusing, seeking and filtering information so that we can maintain a useful path of thinking. Attention involves both the conscious and unconscious mind working at various levels. Developing the ability to attend begins in the womb. It is the outcome of the natural drive to use our sensory perceptual skills. Hunger is one of the 'interoception' senses of internal organ function that detect responses for the regulation of our body. Some others are thirst, respiration, heart rate and elimination. Not often listed in diagnoses of disorders affecting education, they may actually have profoundly disturbing effects.
