Do you rememeber being told by the teacher in school to sit on your hand and to face the front?
Have you ever wanted to scream ‘Look at me when I’m talking to you!’ to someone who doesn’t appear to be paying attention?
A study by Doherty-Sneddon tells us that teacher interpret gaze aversion as an indication of less understanding, less interest and that the child is no longer thinking about the problem. They say that this is completely incorrect!
When bombarded with so much visual information, looking away can actually help concentration. Research shows that encouraging five-year-olds to look away can improve their performance on challenging yet solvable questions.
How do you behave when considering a problem or trying to understand a piece of information? I know I tend to look up and away from the source when I’m pondering as I find anything in my line of vision distracting. If someone stops making eye contact with you, what are your assumptions about their thoughts?
Next time you are conveying information, take note of where the recipients gaze is….and be aware of how you interpret it!
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