The concept of automaticity is very common in the field of psychology, and it is related to such subjects as memory, perception, cognition, emotions, learning, and motivation (Moors and Houwer 297). The approaches to automaticity are multiple and different. Overall, automaticity is the term for unconscious behavior. This is a rather common phenomenon, and average individuals engage in automatic actions many times every day.
Some of the examples of automaticity are driving a car to a location without focusing on the actual process of driving, or placing objects somewhere without realizing it and then having trouble to find them. Not only physical actions can become automatic. The phenomenon of automaticity is recognized in reading and comprehension, for example. The modern scholars also research the ability to use the processes the individuals engage in automatically to condition or control their behaviors (Bargh and Chartrand 462; Bargh, Chen, and Burrows 230).
The impulses that control the automatic behaviors of individuals are studied, and the scientists differentiate between those that are impacted by the internal conditions and the environmental factors (Bargh and Chartrand 463). One of the explanations why the unconscious behaviors occur in people’s everyday lives is that they serve as the way for our mind to avoid the overloading of the cognitive system (Moors and Houwer 297). In other words, when too many operations have to be processed, our mind outsources some of them, and that way the focus becomes removed, and the actions are conducted without the concentration of attention and thus are often accomplished without realization.
One of the most common evidence of automaticity in my personal life is connected to the actions I tend to do multiple times on a regular basis. For instance, after leaving my apartment I often find myself returning to the door to check if I locked it. Obviously, locking the door is an automatic process for me, and it happens without realization. However, several times I have found my door unlocked. This incident means that my automatic behavior was impacted by internal (extreme tiredness) and external (two big bags in my hands) factors.
In professional life, automaticity can be seen in the reading and writing skills of the students. For example, at first, when the children just begin practicing reading and writing, they are very attentive and do everything consciously.
The more practice they have, the more automatic their actions become. That way, over time the children do not need to break the words down into parts and syllables to read them, one quick glance becomes enough for a learner to recognize the word. Automaticity facilitates speed but removes focus from activities, so in some cases, a leader may lose concentration while reading and fail to comprehend or memorize the information. The same happens with writing, when doing it too fast, the learners start making mechanical errors due to the automaticity of writing.
Works Cited
Bargh, John A., and Tanya L. Chartrand. “The Unbearable Automaticity of Being.” American Psychologist 54.7 (2009): 462-479. Print.
Bargh, John A., Mark Chen, and Lara Burrows. “Automaticity of Social Behavior: Direct Effects of Trait Construct and Stereotype Activation on Action.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 71.2 (2006): 230-244. Print.
Moors, Agnes, and Jan De Houwer. “Automaticity: A Theoretical and Conceptual Analysis.” Psychological Bulletin 132.2 (2006): 297-326. Print.