Introduction

Abstract

Attention is a cognitive experience that is subjectively evident to each of us but is difficult to characterize. We are all aware of what attention is: the focusing of our inner resources and state of consciousness. The term attention is part of our everyday vocabulary. As children, we were instructed by our teachers to “pay attention.” The television bombards us with information, soliciting our attention. In the military, a sergeant will order troops to “come to attention.” The athlete who performs suboptimally may attribute the poor performance to lack of concentration. The construct of attention is used to account for a wide range of behavioral phenomena.