EPSystems - TAIS/ACT Theory

TAIS/ACT Theory Summary

The Attentional and Interpersonal Style (TAIS) inventory measures those concentration skills and interpersonal characteristics which the Theory of Attentional and Interpersonal Style defines as critical predictors of performance across a wide variety of performance settings.

To perform up to their potential, individuals must control both concentration and emotional arousal.

Focus of concentration varies along two dimensions, width and direction.
These two dimensions intersect to form four different attentional styles, broad-external, broad-internal, narrow internal, and narrow external.
Different individuals have different preferred or dominant styles. Some are dominated by a broad-internal or analytical focus, others by a broad- external or reactive/intuitive focus. Still others are dominated by a narrow focus of concentration.
Different performance situations require different styles and/or different amounts of shifting between the four styles.
Under optimal conditions, the average individual can meet the concentration demands, and make the attentional shifts required by most performance situations.
When arousal gets too high or too low the ability to shift one's focus of concentration gets interfered with. Often the individual's concentration strength, or dominant style, becomes a weakness as the individual relies too heavily on it, and fails to make needed shifts.

Under optimal conditions concentration flows much like water in a river, passing through natural transition points where performance is subconsciously evaluated.

Transition points occur when there is a shift from an internal focus to an external one, or vice versa, and when there is a shift in the bodies movement about it's center of mass.
When transition points occur, the brain's filters are momentarily turned off and there is a flood of sensory information.
The information is reacted to as a pattern, when the pattern is perceived as normal the transition point is passed through without disrupting the flow of concentration.
Breaks in concentration occur when the pattern of information signals something is wrong and conscious adjustments must be made to correct the problem.
When individuals are in the "zone", the pattern of information received at each transition point signals everything is okay and there are no conscious breaks in the flow of concentration.

When performing at normal levels, there are frequent breaks in concentration because minor changes must be made in mental and/or physical processes to compensate for slight errors in judgment or execution (e.g., starting to swing at a pitch too soon). It is these subtle adjustments which keep individuals out of the "flow" state. To get into the flow state, both the frequency with which adjustments need to be made, and the length of time it takes to make adjustments, must be decreased.

Recovery time is the length of time it takes to make an adjustment to input from a transition point indicating something is wrong. Recovery time varies for two reasons:

Some adjustments are more complex requiring more problem solving and/or searching for solutions.
Excessive emotional arousal increases the length of time individuals attend to task irrelevant distractions thereby increasing recovery time.

In important performance situations, signals indicating things are not going according to plan, result in increases in arousal.

Increasing arousal causes narrowing of concentration.
Increasing arousal forces the individual to focus internally, to problem solve.
The longer attention is focused internally the more time appears speeded up.

Recovery time is slowed down, and problems become compounded when the individual is unable to control emotional responses to transition feedback. The type of problem an individual will have, can be predicted by scores on the interpersonal scales on TAIS.

Individuals with low levels of self-confidence react to negative feedback by becoming anxious. Doubts increase as do negative thoughts. The person becomes tentative failing to respond (errors of omission), or responding late. Additional failures increase arousal even more and lead to the process referred to as "choking." This problem is most likely to occur with low scores on TAIS scales measuring need for control (CON), self-esteem (SES), competitiveness (P/O), and high a high score on the scale measuring speed of decision making (OBS).

Individuals with high levels of self-confidence react to negative feedback by becoming angry and frustrated. As attention narrows they spend more time focusing on irritants than on task relevant cues. Frustration and anger increase, slowing if not preventing recovery. A downward performance spiral occurs. The person begins to rush, becoming over aggressive and preoccupied with getting even or ventilating anger. This problem is most likely to occur with high scores on TAIS scales measuring behavior control (BCON), need for control (CON), self-esteem (SES), competitiveness (P/O), and expression of anger (NAE), and a low score on speed of decision making (SES).

Please direct correspondence to: EPSystems Canada