AufmerksamkeitsdefizitHyperaktivitätsstörung

Aufmerksamkeit, in psychology often translated as attention, is the cognitive process of selectively focusing on a discrete aspect of information while ignoring other stimuli. It is essential for perception, learning, and action, and has a limited capacity that varies with task and individual. Attention can be sustained, divided, or shifted and involves both voluntary (endogenous) control and automatic (exogenous) capture by salient events. Theories differ on when selections occur, from early-filter models to late-selection and capacity-based approaches; contemporary views emphasize interaction between control systems and perceptual processing.

Neurobiologically, attention engages networks including the dorsal attention network (frontal eye fields, intraparietal sulcus) for top-down control and the ventral attention network (temporoparietal junction, ventral frontal cortex) for reorienting. The pulvinar and other thalamic nuclei coordinate communication among cortical areas. Oscillations in alpha and gamma bands have been associated with attentional focus and selection.

Measurement often uses tasks such as the Posner cueing paradigm, Stroop task, or dichotic listening, along with neuroimaging and electrophysiological methods. Key indices include reaction time patterns and event-related potentials like the P300, which index processing of attended stimuli.

Applications span education, safety, human–computer interaction, and clinical contexts. Attention can be impaired in conditions such as ADHD, schizophrenia, and aging-related cognitive decline. Understanding attention informs strategies to support learning, reduce distraction, and design effective interfaces.