What is Distraction?
'''Distraction''' is the process of trying to change or get the [[attention]] of an individual or group from one area to another. This is done so that people can move from one place to another without the target noticing the person. Distraction in humans is caused by: the lack of ability to pay attention; lack of interest in the object of attention; or the great intensity, novelty or attractiveness of something other than the object of attention.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Executive Learning: Successful Strategies for College Reading and Studying|url = https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780135094310|last1 = Post|first1 = Sean|publisher = Prentice Hall|year = 1997|location = Upper Saddle River, NJ|last2 = Schumm|first2 = Jeanne Shay}}</ref> [[File:Syrphid hoverfly wasp mimic.jpg|thumb|200px|A [[hoverfly]], with the stripes of a wasp]] Any behaviour which is human has its origin in the deep past. One principle is that animals adapt to regular features of their environment. So most animals learn their environment in detail. This reduces the chance of their being surprised. A standard observation is that a [[Predation|predator]] moves when its target is distracted. Behaviours related to this are strongly inherited. When discovery is almost certain, prey may drop body parts (for example, their tail), play possum (play dead) or just run away.<ref>Brower L.P. 1988. ''Mimicry and the evolutionary process''. Chicago.</ref> Some lizard tails are programmed to wriggle a bit when they are dropped. ==References== {{reflist}} - {{stub}} [[Category:Human behavior]]