ABSTRACT
Attention has two characteristics: selectivity and intensity (Berg & Richards, in press; Berlyne, 1970; Ruff & Rothbart, 1996). Selectivity refers to the focusing of activity on the object to which attention is directed, whereas, intensity refers to the depth of processing that occurs concomitant with attention. For visual attention, selectivity often refers more specifically to the control of the direction of visual regard. This involves the general direction of gaze, as well as the control of eye movements during attentive tasks. Spatial selectivity is implemented in the visual domain as the active control of fixation in the direction to which attention is directed and the inhibition of eye movements in directions that would interfere with the current task. Thus, an important part of the study of visual attention’s selectivity is an understanding of eye-movement control during attention.
