Synonyms
Unlocking of attentional focus
Definition
A process that enables shifting of the focus of selective attention from one location to another.
Historical Background
Michael Posner and his colleagues (1982, 1990) argued that in order to shift from one spatial location to another, people must first “disengage” their attention from an initial visual target or location. This process takes time and has other costs associated with it. Posner recognized that attention is a dynamic process and that its focus shifts to different spatial locations or objects according to current behavioral goals and according to the demands of the environment. The metaphor of an “attentional spotlight” was used. A number of distinct stages are required for attention to move from one focus to another according to Posner: first, attention must disengage from its current focus; second, it must move to the new location; and finally, it must then engage at the new location. Neuropsychological and...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences and Readings
Corbetta, M., & Shulman, G. L. (2002). Control of goal-directed and stimulus-driven attention in the brain. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 3, 201–215.
Losier, B. J., & Klein, R. M. (2001). A review of the evidence for a disengage deficit following parietal lobe damage. Neuroscience & Biobehavioural Reviews, 25, 1–13.
Posner, M. I., & Petersen, S. E. (1990). The attention system of the human brain. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 13, 25–42.
Posner, M. I., Cohen, Y., & Rafal, R. D. (1982). Neural systems control of spatial orienting. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, 298, 187–198.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this entry
Cite this entry
Worden, M.S. (2018). Disengagement of Attention. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_1292
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_1292
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-57110-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-57111-9
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences