Abstract
Attention is limited. Studies of enumeration, multiple-object tracking, and visual short-term memory suggest that attention may be limited to roughly four objects; experiments on visual search also show striking limits. When several tasks must be performed at once, the usual (although not inevitable) result is substantial impairment compared to single-task performance. Because of these limits, organisms must be selective in the extent to which they process information from various sources. This selectivity can be understood as the result of interaction between stimulus-driven and goal-directed processes.
Original language | English (US) |
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Title of host publication | Encyclopedia of Neuroscience |
Publisher | Elsevier Ltd |
Pages | 1211-1216 |
Number of pages | 6 |
ISBN (Print) | 9780080450469 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2009 |
Keywords
- Attention
- Attentional blink
- Attentional capture
- Inattentional blindness
- Multitasking
- Preattentive processing
- Psychological refractory period
- Subitizing
- Visual memory
- Visual search
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Neuroscience