As part of her child development course, paris has chosen to analyze children's drawings. she collected drawings from 50 children in the third grade. she became so engrossed in the project that she lost track of time. three hours ago she had meant to spend only an hour on the project. paris is demonstrating

Paris is demonstrating flow.

Flow or "being in the zone" refers to a state of being or mental state where a person is completely engrossed in an activity with energized focus, and derives great fulfillment and enjoyment from it. When a person is in a state of flow or deeply focused, hours seem to pass by without the person realizing it. Being in a state of flow leads to optimal productivity. Flow occurs when the challenge of a task matches the person's level of skills.