Reimagining Attention: Daniela Zamboni's Architecture of Thinking

By The Learning Gardens

When we think about attention disorders, the conversation often centers around symptoms: distraction, impulsivity, lack of focus. But what if we looked deeper—into the very structure of thinking itself? Daniela Zamboni, psycho-pedagogist, cognitive science researcher, and director of the Institute of Human Potential (IPH) in Brazil, proposes exactly that.

In her groundbreaking research, recently shared at Shoresh USA 2024 and published in Frontiers in Psychology (article here), Zamboni offers a revolutionary lens: attention challenges are not just about behavior—they are rooted in the architecture of how an individual thinks.

The Core Idea: Thinking Has an Architecture

Zamboni’s theory is built on the foundation of Structural Cognitive Modifiability developed by Reuven Feuerstein. She expands this concept by suggesting that each person’s thinking is structured like a building—some grand and sprawling, some intricate and interconnected, and others fragmented or incomplete.

She envisions 28 cognitive functions (based on Feuerstein’s model) like "test tubes" within the mind. These tubes vary in how full they are, depending on the efficiency or inefficiency of different cognitive functions. Critically, these tubes interact with each other: if one function is underdeveloped, it weakens the overall architecture.

Instead of viewing cognitive deficits as static disabilities, Zamboni highlights how dynamic the structure of thinking can be—and how interventions can strategically strengthen it.

The Discovery: Cornerstone Cognitive Functions

Through years of LPAD assessments and brain-based evaluations, Zamboni identified three "cornerstone" cognitive functions critical to shaping the entire cognitive structure:

1. Planning Behavior

   • Brain Area: Left limbic area

   • Thinking Modality: Verbal, sequential

   • Characteristic: Processes one item at a time, sequences and organizes methodically
     
     

2. Search for Logical Evidence

   • Brain Area: Left cortical area

   • Thinking Modality: Verbal and numerical

   • Characteristic: Requires substantial data, seeks cause-and-effect, identifies patterns
     
     

3. Projecting Virtual Relationships

   • Brain Area: Right cortical area

   • Thinking Modality: Figurative, visual

   • Characteristic: Integrates information into wholes, thinks in images and metaphors
     
     

Key Insight:

The order of efficiency in which these cornerstone functions operate determines a person’s cognitive style—and directly impacts how they learn, pay attention, and solve problems. 

Processing Profiles: How Different Thinkers Process Information

Depending on which cornerstone function dominates, individuals demonstrate unique processing patterns:

• Planning First Thinkers

Think in careful, verbal steps. They excel when given structured, sequential information but may struggle with multi-tasking or non-linear tasks.

• Logical Evidence First Thinker

Analyze large volumes of information quickly. They require depth and logical consistency to engage. Surface-level explanations frustrate them.

• Virtual Relationship First Thinkers

Think holistically and visually. They are intuitive, creative, and fast but may miss details and struggle to explain their thinking linearly.

Attention Disorders: A Matter of Architecture, Not Just Symptoms

Zamboni emphasizes that what looks like "attention problems" may actually be mismatches between:

• The individual's cognitive architecture

• The way tasks, instructions, or environments are structured

For example:

• A child who processes information visually may struggle in a verbal-heavy classroom.

• A student who requires sequential processing may feel overwhelmed by projects that demand integrating multiple inputs at once.

By mapping and understanding the architecture of a student's thinking, interventions can be precisely targeted, not just to manage symptoms, but to rebuild and strengthen cognitive structures themselves.

Learning from a Structure of Thinking Perspective

Zamboni’s method proposes that to foster meaningful learning and cognitive growth, educators and therapists must:

• Define and understand cognitive functions individually.

• Observe how these functions manifest in social and learning behaviors.

• Play with cognitive interactions, asking "what if" scenarios (e.g., what if comparative behavior is weak?).

• Make hypotheses about each student’s thinking structure.

• Strategically intervene by choosing appropriate educational and cognitive tools to enhance strengths and address weaknesses.

Why It Matters

By shifting from a symptom-focused model to an architecture of thinking model:

• Difficulties become understandable—and fixable.

• Strengths become open gates for growth.

• Differences become natural variations, not deficits.

• Neurodiversity becomes easily explained and celebrated.

• Learning and intelligence are seen as modifiable and adaptable.

Or as Zamboni concludes:

"We are all neurodiverse. We are all different. And when we teach thinking structures, we teach not just how to cope—but how to thrive."

Final Thoughts

Daniela Zamboni’s Architecture of Thinking offers an inspiring and practical roadmap for supporting individuals with attention disorders and other cognitive challenges. Instead of asking, "How do we fix their behavior?" we can ask, "How can we understand their structure of thinking—and help them build it stronger?"

At The Learning Gardens, this philosophy resonates deeply with our mission: cultivating connections and growing minds by seeing each learner's potential, not their limitations.

If you want to learn more about how we apply cognitive architecture models in our educational therapy and coaching programs, reach out to us today!