Reference Terms

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Attention

Attention is the cognitive process of selectively concentrating on one thing while ignoring other things.

Attention is one of the most intensely studied topics within psychology and cognitive neuroscience.

Of the many cognitive processes associated with the human mind (decision-making, memory, emotion, etc), attention is considered the most concrete because it is tied so closely to perception.

As such, it is a gateway to the rest of cognition.

Note: The above text is excerpted from the Wikipedia article "Attention", which has been released under the GNU Free Documentation License.

For more information, see the following related content on ScienceDaily:

Cellular Mechanisms for Attention in Brain Uncovered

July 26, 2013 — The ability to pay attention to relevant information while ignoring distractions is a core brain function. Without the ability to focus and filter out "noise," we could not effectively ... read more

Your Brain Can Pay Attention to Something Without You Being Aware That It's There

June 6, 2011 — Paying attention to something and being aware of it seems like the same thing -- they both involve somehow knowing the thing is there. However a new study finds that these are actually separate; your ... read more

How Brain Is Wired for Attention

Nov. 2, 2010 — Researchers have uncovered a wiring diagram that shows how the brain pays attention to visual, cognitive, sensory, and motor cues. The research provides a critical foundation for the study of ... read more

Improving Impaired Attention May Help Patients Recover From Stroke

July 25, 2009 — An attention training program may be a viable and effective way to improve attention span in stroke survivors. Survivors who received attention training had higher improved rates of attention ... read more

Why Do Some Athletes Choke Under Pressure?

Oct. 26, 2011 — Athletes know they should just do their thing on the 18th hole, or during the penalty shootout, or when they're taking a three-point shot in the last moments of the game. But when that shot ... read more

When Less Attention Improves Memory

Jan. 22, 2009 — In confused patients with false memories, memory accuracy improves when attentional resources are reduced. Most cognitive processes supporting adaptive behavior need attentional resources for their ... read more

Attention's Place in the Human Cognitive Architecture

Oct. 7, 2015 — Neuroscientists can't build a brain, so they have settled with reverse engineering -- learning a lot about each part in hopes that they can understand how all of the pieces fit together. ... read more

Why Focusing on a Visual Task Will Make Us Deaf to Our Surroundings

Dec. 8, 2015 — Concentrating attention on a visual task can render you momentarily 'deaf' to sounds at normal levels, reports a new study. The research suggests that the senses of hearing and vision share ... read more

Executive Powers in the Nursery

May 19, 2016 — A baby's cry not only commands our attention, it also rattles our executive functions -- the very neural and cognitive processes we use for making everyday decisions, according to a new ... read more

We Are Natural Born Multi-Taskers

Dec. 22, 2011 — Scientists have found that we are natural-born multi-taskers. They found evidence that we can pay attention to more than one thing at a ... read more

Share This Page:

Mind & Brain News

September 25, 2016

'Sixth Sense' May Be More Than Just a Feeling

How We Understand Kids' Moral Judgement

Can't Blame Genetics If You Don't Lose Weight

The Menstrual Cycle Affects Memory

Latest Headlines

updated 12:56 pm ET

Immune and Targeted Therapies With Radiation Therapy Improves Outcomes for Melanoma Brain Metastases Patients, Say Researchers

Sep. 21, 2016 — Researchers have sought to determine if patients with melanoma brain metastases treated with immune and targeted therapies had improved outcomes over ... read more