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The meaning of attention control

Oberauer, Klaus (2024). The meaning of attention control. Psychological Review, 131(6):1509-1526.

Abstract

Attention control has been proposed as an ability construct that explains individual differences in fluid intelligence. Evaluating this hypothesis is complicated by a lack of clarity in the definition of attention control. Here, I propose a definition of attention control, based on experimental research and computational models of what guides attention, and how cognitive processes are controlled. Attention is the selection of mental representations for prioritized processing, and the ability to control attention is the ability to prioritize those representations that are relevant for the person’s current goal, thereby enabling them to think and act in accordance with their intentions. This definition can be used to identify appropriate and less appropriate ways to measure individual differences in attention control. An analysis of various approaches to measurement reveals that the current practice of measuring attention control leaves room for improvement. Aligning our psychometric measurements with a clear, theoretically grounded concept of attention control can lead to more valid measures of that construct.

Additional indexing

Item Type:Journal Article, refereed, original work
Communities & Collections:06 Faculty of Arts > Institute of Psychology
Dewey Decimal Classification:150 Psychology
Scopus Subject Areas:Social Sciences & Humanities > General Psychology
Uncontrolled Keywords:Attention, control, individual differences, intelligence, executive functions
Language:English
Date:2024
Deposited On:15 Jan 2025 12:28
Last Modified:16 Jan 2025 21:00
Publisher:American Psychological Association
ISSN:0033-295X
OA Status:Closed
Publisher DOI:https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000514
PubMed ID:39418416

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