ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the role of spatial attention from a computational perspective. In the area of spatial attention, some models are abstract mathematical characterizations of behavior; others are algorithmic, describing behavior in a sequence of steps much like a computer program. Computational models are process models that lean toward the quantitative end of the spectrum. Large computational models often arouse suspicion because they appear sufficiently malleable that they can be made to account for any piece of data. An important aspect of a computational model is that, beyond explaining data, it can also carry out the same sort of operations as can people. Several computational models have been proposed to segment displays into their component objects. A variety of promising computational models have been devised to replicate various aspects of the data. Nonetheless, as the field matures, computational models should play an increasingly important role.
