Visual attention: Defining the origin of the current terms of engagement

Abstract Our environment bombards the mind with far more visual information than can be processed. Because of this overload of information, our minds focus on only a subset of the visual inputs that land on our retinas. The visual attention mechanisms of the brain select which inputs we process to the level of awareness, store in memory, and act upon. Here I provide an overview of the topics, tasks, and methods that researchers have developed to study visual attention and conclude by discussing continuing controversies. Finally, weaknesses in our understanding of the brain’s limited capacity ability to process visual information are identified as potential targets for future study.