Attention
Attention - Related Videos
08:52
The Attentional Blink
0 Views •
2023
Source: Laboratory of Jonathan Flombaum—Johns Hopkins University In order for recognition of a certain stimulus to take place, visual attention needs to be directed towards said stimulus. To the earliest parts of the visual system, objects are not objects, they are collections of visual features-lines, corners, changes in texture, color, and light. Attention is the resource that is necessary for later processing in order to recognize what a given bundle of features adds up to. This makes...
09:37
Measurement of Neurophysiological Signals of Ignoring and Attending Processes in Attention Control
0 Views •
Cited by 5 •
2015
Attention control comprises enhancement of target signals and attenuation of distractor signals. We describe an approach to measure separately but concurrently, the neurophysiology of attending and ignoring in sustained intermodal attention, utilizing a passive control condition during which neither process is continuously engaged.
09:59
Visual Attention: fMRI Investigation of Object-based Attentional Control
0 Views •
2023
Source: Laboratories of Jonas T. Kaplan and Sarah I. Gimbel— University of Southern California The human visual system is incredibly sophisticated and capable of processing large amounts of information very quickly. However, the brain's capacity to process information is not an unlimited resource. Attention, the ability to selectively process information that is relevant to current goals and to ignore information that is not, is therefore an essential part of visual perception. Some aspects of...
09:31
Touchscreen Sustained Attention Task (SAT) for Rats
0 Views •
Cited by 8 •
2017
Sustained attention, or continuously monitoring situations for intermittent and unpredictable events, is a critical aspect of cognition. Here we detail how to test sustained attention in rats using touchscreen operant chambers. We demonstrate comparable performance in male and female rats, making this task useful for studying attention in both sexes.
01:27
The Concept of Limited Attention
0 Views •
2026
Limited attention is a cognitive constraint that affects decision-making by restricting the amount of information individuals can process at a given time. In financial markets, this limitation leads investors to focus selectively on salient and easily interpretable information while overlooking complex or less obvious signals. As a result, stock prices may not adjust immediately to new information, leading to market inefficiencies.Investors often rely on heuristics to filter vast financial...
FAQs
Top-down control directs attention according to current goals, such as concentrating on a task, whereas bottom-up signals draw processing toward noticeable events, such as a sudden sound or movement. These influences can interact when an unexpected stimulus interrupts goal-directed activity. Studying their interaction helps psychologists explain how people prioritize information in changing environments.
These forms describe different demands placed on cognitive processing. Selective attention concerns prioritizing some information, sustained attention concerns maintaining focus, divided attention concerns managing more than one demand, and spatial attention concerns directing processing toward locations. Separating them allows researchers to examine specific aspects of performance rather than treating attention as a single, uniform ability.
Because mental processing capacity is limited, handling several demands at once can affect how information is prioritized and processed. Multitasking therefore provides a useful context for studying divided attention and the consequences of competing tasks. Psychological research can examine these effects to clarify why performance may change when people must manage complex environments or simultaneous activities.
Attention influences which information receives enhanced mental processing, creating consequences beyond the immediate task. Information selected for processing can affect how people perceive events, acquire knowledge, retain information, and make decisions. Examining these links helps psychology connect attention with broader cognitive functions and explains why attentional conditions matter across many forms of behavior.
Researchers study attention with behavioral tasks, eye tracking, and brain-imaging methods. Behavioral tasks can provide evidence about performance under different attentional demands, while eye tracking and brain imaging offer additional ways to examine attentional processing. Using these approaches supports investigation of selective, sustained, divided, and spatial attention across controlled psychological research settings.
Research on distraction examines how competing or unexpected information affects the prioritization of processing. By relating distraction to top-down goals and bottom-up signals, psychologists can study why attention shifts away from an intended task. This work is relevant to understanding performance in complex environments, where people must maintain focus while responding to changing stimuli.
Attention research helps human-computer interaction researchers consider how users prioritize information while interacting with complex systems. Findings about selective, divided, and spatial attention can provide psychological context for examining focus, competing demands, and distraction during interaction. This connection supports research on how information presentation relates to users’ cognitive processing and task performance.
Attention provides a framework for studying difficulties involving focus, distraction, or the management of competing demands. Research can examine these issues through the same attentional processes and methods used in psychology, including behavioral tasks, eye tracking, and brain imaging. This makes attention relevant to investigating attention-deficit disorders alongside broader questions about cognition and performance.