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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 10, 2026

Author Spotlight: Addressing Technical and Subjective Challenges in Measuring Classroom Attention
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Author Spotlight: Addressing Technical and Subjective Challenges in Measuring Classroom Attention

Published on: December 15, 2023

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Is attention a theory?

Rachel N Denison1

  • 1Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA rdenison@bu.edu.

The Behavioral and Brain Sciences
|November 26, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Attention is not a scientific theory, but a psychological concept. It encompasses diverse phenomena requiring multiple explanations, challenging the notion of a unified "attention theory".

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Philosophy of Science

Background:

  • The concept of "attention theory" is debated as a scientific paradigm in crisis.
  • Rosenholtz posits attention theory is a Kuhnian paradigm in crisis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To question the premise that attention is a theory.
  • To reframe attention as a psychological concept rather than a singular theory.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis of the term "attention theory".
  • Comparison of attention with other psychological concepts like memory and emotion.

Main Results:

  • Attention is not a theory but a broad psychological concept.
  • Attentional phenomena require multiple mechanistic explanations.

Conclusions:

  • The framework of "attention theory" may be misleading.
  • Understanding attention necessitates acknowledging its multifaceted nature and diverse explanatory mechanisms.