attention ↔ William James

Relations (1)

cross_type 2.58 — strongly supporting 5 facts

William James is fundamentally linked to the concept of attention through his seminal 1890 definition [1] and his theoretical assertion that attention is synonymous with volition {fact:1, fact:3}. Furthermore, he explored the functional role of attention in guiding behavior [2] and its integration into the broader stream of consciousness [3].

Facts (5)

Sources

Attention - Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science - MIT oecs.mit.edu MIT 2 facts

claimWilliam James described attention as a form of selection specifically for guiding behavior, where a person mentally selects a target to respond to it, such as reaching for it or committing it to memory.

quoteWilliam James described attention in 1890 as follows: "Everyone knows what attention is. It is the taking possession by the mind, in clear and vivid form, of one out of what seem several simultaneously possible objects or trains of thought. Focalization, concentration, of consciousness are of its essence. It implies withdrawal from some things in order to deal effectively with others, and is a condition which has a real opposite in the confused, dazed, scatterbrained state which in French is called distraction, and Zerstreutheit in German."

Attention and consciousness - SelfAwarePatterns selfawarepatterns.com SelfAwarePatterns 2 facts

claimWilliam James claimed that volition and attention are identical, a perspective that aligns with modern predictive coding views.

quoteWilliam James claimed in the late 1800s that, “Volition is nothing but attention”.

Quantum Approaches to Consciousness plato.stanford.edu Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy 1 fact

claimHenry Stapp provided commentary on the concepts of attention and intention in relation to William James' idea of a holistic stream of consciousness.