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Stop paying attention to "attention".

Britt Anderson1

  • 1Department of Psychology and Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews. Cognitive Science
|August 26, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Conceptual fragmentation, like with the term "attention," causes confusion in psychology. Abandoning fragmented terms and embracing mathematical theories can enhance cognitive research clarity.

Keywords:
applied category theoryattentionstatistical decision model

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Cognition

Background:

  • Conceptual fragmentation occurs when a single term encompasses multiple, overlapping meanings, leading to confusion.
  • The term "attention" exemplifies this issue, with its modern usage diverging from its historical context.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To address the problem of conceptual fragmentation in psychology, using "attention" as a case study.
  • To advocate for the abandonment of fragmented terms and the adoption of theoretical clarity.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of the historical and contemporary meanings of the term "attention."
  • Examination of the impact of conceptual fragmentation on psychological research and progress.
  • Proposal of mathematical formalization and category theory as tools for theoretical clarity.

Main Results:

  • "Attention" is a modern term with a meaning distinct from current intuitions.
  • Psychology has advanced significantly even without relying on the concept of attention.
  • Conceptual fragmentation is a widespread issue in psychology, stemming from a lack of guiding theory.

Conclusions:

  • Abandoning fragmented terms like "attention" is a necessary step towards conceptual clarity.
  • Theoretical advancement in cognitive science is facilitated by mathematical formalization.
  • Category theory offers a framework for rigorous cross-domain comparisons in psychological research.