Attention in Cognitive Psychology

Definition and Scope of Attention

Attention is the concentration of awareness on a particular stimulus, task, thought, or phenomenon while largely excluding competing information. In cognitive psychology, it is viewed as the allocation of limited processing resources to selected information. In neuropsychology, it involves mechanisms that allow sensory signals and internal goals to influence neural activity, perception, behavior, and cognition. Attention is therefore not a single ability but an umbrella concept covering related processes such as selecting, sustaining, shifting, and distributing mental focus. The scope of attention is limited by the number of items that can be processed and the duration for which focus can be maintained. Core forms include focused attention, sustained or vigilant attention, selective attention, alternating attention, divided attention, and orienting. Attention may be stimulus-driven or goal-directed, and it operates across spatial locations, sensory features, objects, tasks, and time. It is closely connected with working memory, executive control, perception, learning, consciousness, and distributed frontal, parietal, and subcortical brain networks.

0/2 modes complete

Types of Attention

0/2 modes complete