Selective Attention: Psychology Behind Attention and Long-term Memory

Selective attention is the cognitive process of focusing on a particular task or stimulus while ignoring others that are presented simultaneously. Multitasking is everywhere you look. People are often encouraged to do multiple things at once: watch television while they exercise, listen to music while they study, glance at their GPS while they drive. Over and over, we see instances in which we might be encouraged to focus on multiple things at once, rather than focusing on a single task at hand. But is successfully divided attention really possible? And if so, is it good to do?

Attention and diversion

Parents often implore their children to "please listen" or “pay attention” while they are staring down at their phones. Teachers tap against the blackboard to garner the attention of students who are gazing out the window or doodling on notebook paper. In each of these situations, the assumption is that a person cannot deal effectively with two tasks at once, and one task must be sacrificed to see the other to completion. The human mind, however, can be far more complex than that when it comes to processing information.

How the brain allows for selective attention

The human brain is made up of millions of neurons and neural pathways, each of them designed to help you carry out everyday tasks, such as doing your job, brushing your teeth, or driving to work.

Attention is not as simplistic as only being able to focus on a single task at a time, but research suggests that the human brain also isn’t capable of fully committing to multiple tasks simultaneously. Instead, the mind possesses the ability to engage "selective attention," which allows people to divert attention and information processing resources to a certain task for a time before moving back into a state of greater awareness and a more engaged periphery.

What is selective attention?

Tuning in and tuning out

When heavily concentrated on untangling a knot, for instance, the brain might engage selective attention and lose the ability to hear background noise or even noise as distinct as one's name. It also manifests as intense focus on some sounds over others, such as tuning in to a conversation at a busy event—this is also called the cocktail party effect. Selective attention is the mechanism responsible for allowing you to hear the cry of a child over the noise of running water or the clinking of dishes. 

The spotlight idea and a clear definition

The spotlight model presents an effective demonstration of one aspect of selective attention: visual attention. Picture human attention as a spotlight that sweeps a dark room filled with several simultaneously possible objects, then settles on one specific focal point. Everything outside of the clear and vivid form bathed in that light remains in darkness, and is therefore unseen or ignored by the brain. 

Why is selective attention important?

Selective attention typically allows the human brain to function more efficiently. Just as a computer gets slower when numerous windows, tabs, and programs are open, the human brain might quickly and easily become overloaded without selective attention. Selective attention can function as a filter to keep the brain working optimally as it goes about its tasks.

Life without selective attention

The loss of this function can also be impactful; being easily diverted or experiencing difficulty concentrating may be a sign of a breakdown in the mind's ability to engage its selective attention mechanism. If the breakdown is temporary, you might not even notice the loss, but if your mind continues to struggle to use its selective attention abilities over a long period, work, school, and home life can be impacted.

A tool for staying on track

Selective attention can also serve as a mechanism to ensure important tasks are completed. Selective attention often allows your mind to prioritize your needs—which can be an invaluable tool in accomplishing goals, keeping you safe, and performing basic tasks. Selective attention might alert you to the terrified cry of a child while you are busy with a task at home, encouraging you to abandon your work in favor of checking on your child. Selective attention can be vital to both seemingly menial tasks and survival-based ones that require controlled attention.

How does selective attention work?

Selective attention is thought to be (at least) a two-step process whereby the brain takes in all of the information it sees and hears and sends it to a filtering system, which then identifies which stimuli are most important. The human brain is filled with processes, each of them able to perform multiple tasks. Selective attention is an example of these synapses and neurons performing multiple functions and filtering the information the brain receives.

Different parts of the brain working together

Certain parts of the brain are responsible for recognizing sight, patterns, and up-close experiences, while others are responsible for auditory signals. Still, others are responsible for "big picture" things and can take in more background noise. Each of these parts of the brain works in tandem to identify which aspects of the input your brain is receiving are important and which are acceptable to deprioritize.

From sensory input to conscious awareness

When the brain receives a signal from a sensory organ that identifies an external stimulus, a multi-stage process is put to work to convert this stimulus into a coherent experience. These stages include:

• Reception through sensory organs (eyes, ears, nose, or skin)
• Transmission and filtering to receive relevant information
• Integration of information
• Cortical processing, especially focused in the prefrontal cortex
• Predictive coding, in which the brain uses past experiences to only bring significant information to full conscious awareness

The brain works more efficiently by blocking out the “noise” of non-essential sensory information. 

Selective attention theories and classic models in cognitive psychology

Processes that occur in the brain are not yet fully understood by science and future research is necessary to fully understand the process. However, a number of theories exist to attempt to explain how selective attention theory works. 

Filter theory and Broadbent’s filter model

Published in 1958, Broadbent’s filter model is an early theory of selective attention. This model proposes a kind of “sensory buffer” that filters incoming data based on physical characteristics such as volume or pitch, allowing the selected stimuli further processing, and filtering out unattended messages. This bottleneck process then allows for the selected stimuli to cohere into one message in the conscious mind. 

Attenuation model and what happens to the unattended message

Developed several years after Broadbent’s model, the attenuation model of selective attention posits that rather than filtering out extraneous data altogether, the brain “turns down the volume” on certain stimuli that have been deemed irrelevant. Relevant information receives further processing, while low-threshold, unattended information may break through into the consciousness if it is familiar or important enough. 

Directed attention models

Directed attention models of selective attention propose a voluntary, top-down model of processing, and include the spotlight model and the zoom lens model. 

• The spotlight model theorizes that directed attention works like a spotlight, with a clear focus on a specific task or stimulus, while everything outside of the spotlight remains unfocused or dark
• The zoom lens model offers the idea that focus is more like a zoom lens, with the ability to contract or expand over certain data, while a wider focus reduces informational clarity. 

Selective auditory attention vs visual attention

Selective auditory attention and visual attention use some of the same mechanisms, but auditory attention is more reliant on time-based processing, while visual attention is primarily spatial. 

Selective auditory attention and the cocktail party problem

Auditory selective attention has been studied since the late 1950s, with testing to determine how the brain filters information. Researchers conducted experiments which presented adult participants with a dichotic listening task. Listeners were told to repeat auditory input from one ear and then the other, and researchers found that information sent into the unattended ear was effectively filtered out. This supports the “cocktail party effect” in which a person may attend a conversation and understand the story presented, even while surrounded by other conversations and irrelevant sounds. Typically the left ear will focus on speech, while the right takes in spatial input.

Visual selective attention and focusing in the visual field

Visual selective attention takes in data from the visual field and allows a focus on certain features or physical characteristics that are deemed relevant. The brain then processes this data while filtering out other stimuli to create a coherent picture of what’s happening. 

Cognitive neuroscience perspective on attention

Selective attention continues to be an important field of study in neuroscience and psychology. Selective attention demonstrates an evolutionary biological response to external stimuli; if humans were to be easily overwhelmed by sights and sounds around them, they would probably not have been able to survive. Even without the threat of wildlife or starvation, selective attention can provide safety. Your attention can be diverted from the phone in the palm of your hand as the honk of a car horn alerts you to an imminent collision, or a rustling in the grass can steal your attention from a conversation with a friend to the potential danger at your feet.

Academic foundations and landmark publications

The academic foundations of selective attention were developed in the late 1950s, with landmark studies and other research conducted to spotlight how the brain is able to focus attention when receiving input from a variety of sources. The British Medical Bulletin published “Selective Attention in Man” in 1964, although these phenomena were mentioned in earlier research, including psychological reviews of the cocktail party model mentioned earlier, and other experiments. 

Mechanisms of selective attention

Selective attention is a multifaceted neurological system that is thought to have different functions. The first is more passive and allows the brain to focus on something when there are a lot of distractors in a state of high perceptual load. This might allow you to tune in on a conversation with a friend amid a loud party or hear the honk of a horn amid rush hour traffic, with vehicles flying by in both directions.

The second mechanism is more active and allows a person to tune out distractors during times of low perceptual load, when the person might normally have capacity to pay attention to them. 

The brain networks involved in focusing attention

Selective attention occurs throughout different areas of the brain, but primarily involves the fronto-parietal network for top-down control. The prefrontal cortex is the main player in executive attention, but other parts of the brain that play a role in processing and filtering information include:

• Dorsal attention network
• Ventral attention network
• Subcortical structures like the thalamus, superior colliculus, and basal ganglia
• Anterior cingulate cortex

How selective attention develops

Selective attention is a lifelong process, beginning with early development and continuing to be refined over the lifespan. 

Early stages and how selective attention develops in children

Developmental cognitive neuroscience research finds that selective attention develops in children at around four to seven years of age. In the early stages of development, infants and young children have a tendency to distribute their attention across a variety of stimuli, much of which is not relevant to the goal. Selectivity develops and strengthens in later childhood years, and continues through adulthood. 

Selective attention skills over time

Studies find that young children have the advantage in processing task-irrelevant information, while adults have the advantage in processing task-relevant information. As this skill develops, the brain loses the ability to process task-irrelevant information. The individual’s focus receives training in a school environment, as selective attention becomes key to academic performance and later, work performance. 

Selective attention and its role

Although selective attention is not often thoroughly evaluated by the average person, its effects are typically experienced in everyday life. Without the ability to selectively attend to external stimuli, human beings might be in a perpetual state of overwhelm and struggle to complete even the most basic tasks without ample light, utter silence, and a clear, clean workspace. With selective attention, people can function effectively in the face of countless sources of distraction and confusion.

There are various times in our lives when we may experience greater difficulty paying attention, such as when we are stressed, exhausted, or spread too thin.

Practical ways to strengthen selective attention

Certain types of mindfulness and cognitive training can strengthen selective attention skills over time. Even those who find focusing their attention a difficult task, certain behaviors and strategies can make it easier. Some strategies to build selective attention include:

• Playing chess
• Doing a crossword puzzle or sudoku exercise
• Memorize and perform a monologue or song, even if it's just to yourself
• Create a “memory palace” by placing specific pieces of information around a mental room
• Complete an obstacle course

Study and work routines that support academic performance

While certain puzzles and mindfulness activities can help with strengthening attention, creating lifestyle habits and work routines can offer longstanding support and improved academic and work performance. 

• Prioritize sufficient, quality sleep
• Get regular exercise
• Take mental breaks when completing a task
• Create a mindfulness practice such as a morning meditation

These behaviors have all been shown by research to support healthier and more effective cognitive behaviors, which may be the key to better performance. 

When attention problems affect mental health

When an individual struggles with attention, it can be a sign of a mental health condition like ADHD, anxiety, or depression. Even when unrelated to disorders, attention difficulties can contribute to feelings of frustration, overwhelm, and low self-worth. 

When to seek support

If attention issues are causing distress, or if they begin to impact daily life or relationships, therapy can help. A licensed mental health professional can offer both emotional support to help process any negative feelings, as well as practical strategies to practice to strengthen attentional control. It is possible to build selective attention skills, learn to prioritize task demands, and better filter distracting stimuli. 

Online therapy for improving attention and mental health functions

If you are too busy or hesitant to visit a therapy practice, you might consider trying online therapy, which has been shown to be as effective as in-office therapy. In one meta-analysis, online interventions were shown to have greater efficacy in improving the attention and social functions of adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), compared to adults on a wait list. 

In another context, there may be times when we need to divert our attention from negative thoughts. Internet- and mobile-based interventions have also shown effectiveness in helping people diagnosed with specific phobias to reduce their related symptoms.