A ttentional models have evolved from the classic stimulus selection (Broadbent, 1958; Treisman, 1960; Hoffman, 1986) and limited resources models (Kanheman, 1973) to the more current activation mod- els (Toomin, 2000; Angelakis, Lubar & Stathopoulou, 2004). These new models do not share the traditional idea of limited attentional capacity, since attention, on working as an active and constructive mechanism, is modified with practice, so that subjects generate their own attentional potential. Such potential will be deter- mined not only by cognitive elements, but also by cona- tive and affective elements, whose interaction is described in the first neoconnexionist model of attention (Phaf, Van der Heijden & Hudson, 1990), the Slam model, which demonstrates changes in attentional capacity through continued practice. Such changes occur in processes of both selective and sustained atten- tion. Selective attention Selective attention processes begin with a spatial selection phase (Ericksen & Webb, 1989; Madden, 1992; Henderson & MacQuistan, 1993), which is followed by a phase based on the characteristics of the object (Vázquez, Vaquero, Cardoso & Gómez, 2001; Roselló, 1997; Barbero, 2005). However, these two phases can coexist, since, as various authors have shown through the visual evoked potentials (VEP) technique, the P1 and N1 potentials can be modulated, both by attention based on the stimulus field (Méndez, Ponce, Jiménez & Sampedro, 2001) and by attention based on specific stimuli (Valdés-Sosa, Bobes, Rodríguez & Pinilla, 1998). This coexistence involves correct binocular coordination, which permits error-free image processing, via two distinct pathways: the magnocellular pathway (which channels static information) and the MULTIMODAL INTERVENTION PROGRAMME FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF ATTENTION DEFICITS Luis Álvarez, Paloma González-Castro, José Carlos Núñez, Julio Antonio González-Pienda, David Álvarez & Ana Belén Bernardo University of Oviedo Can attention be learned? The purpose of this article is to report on the development, administration and assessment of an intervention programme for the improvement of selective and sustained attention in school students aged 5 to 19 with difficulties for learning the academic material corresponding to their age group. Two groups participated in the study: one with difficulties in selective attention and the other with difficulties in sustained attention. The group with selective attention difficulties was made up of 102 students, of whom 59 were in the experimental group and 43 in the control group. The group with difficulties in sustained attention numbered 106, of whom 58 were in the experimental group and 48 in the control group. The results suggest that this kind of intervention programme (which combines visual therapy, cortical activation and training with activity banks) is effective for improving deficits in both selective attention and sustained attention. Keywords: Attention deficit, visual therapy, cortical activation, activity banks ¿Es posible aprender a atender? En el presente artículo se informa del desarrollo, aplicación y contrastación de un programa de intervención para la mejora de la atención selectiva y sostenida en estudiantes de 5 a 19 años, todos escolarizados y con dificultades para la realización de los aprendizajes escolares correspondientes a su edad. En el estudio participaron dos grupos de estudiantes: uno con dificultades en atención selectiva y otro con dificultades en atención sostenida. El grupo de dificultades en atención selectiva estuvo formado por 102 sujetos, de los cuales 59 constituyeron el grupo experimental y 43 el grupo control. El grupo de estudiantes con dificultades en atención sostenida estuvo formado por 106 sujetos, de los cuales 58 participaron como grupo experimental y 48 como grupo control. Los resultados indican que este tipo de intervenciones (en las que se combina terapia visual, activación cortical y entrenamiento con bancos de actividades), son eficaces para la mejora de los déficits de atención, tanto selectiva como sostenida. Palabras clave: Déficit de atención, terapia visual, activación cortical, banco de actividades. Psychology in Spain, 2008, Vol. 12. No 1, 81-87 Copyright 2008 by the Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos. Spain The original Spanish version of this paper has been previously published in Psicothema, 2007, Vol. 19, No 4, 591-596 ........... Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Luis Álvarez, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Oviedo, 33003 Oviedo. Spain. E-mail: lalvarez@uniovi.es 81 VOLUME 12. NUMBER 1. 2008. PSYCHOLOGY IN SPAIN