Attention

Wayne Wu’s Attention was the first book to provide a systematic overview and assessment of different empirical and philosophical works on attention. In this revised and expanded second edition Wu discusses the following central topics and problems:

• the nature of attention and the structure of the theory of attention.
• explanatory integration of the psychology and neuroscience of attention.
• attention’s intimate relation to agency.
• attention and memory.
• the phenomenology of attention and attention as a gate on consciousness.
• introspective attention of consciousness.
• skill in attention.
• the epistemology and ethics of attention.
• attention in thought.

Updated throughout, this edition includes new chapters on working memory, automaticity and skill, and attention and ethics. The breadth of coverage provides materials for advanced students and researchers in psychology, cognitive science, and philosophy. Additional features include chapter summaries, a glossary, and suggestions for further reading, making this also an ideal introduction for those new to attention.

Praise for the First Edition

A CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title, 2015

"Wayne Wu in Attention not only motivates and defends his distinctive account of attention; he also provides a sweeping but rigorous overview of empirical and philosophical work on attention, spanning the last several decades. Indeed, one of the book’s most admirable features is the way it handles the interdisciplinary nature of work on the mind. … [A] well-written and engaging book that should prove valuable to anyone interested in attention." - Markos Valaris, Australasian Journal of Philosophy

"… [A] welcome addition to the philosophical literature on attention. It launches a new and exciting topic of research in attention -- selection for action. I hope that philosophers will be enough inspired by Wu's arguments to continue the discussion on the relationship between attention and action …" - Carolyn Dicey Jennings, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

"Attention is a hot topic in cognitive science and philosophy. ... [This] book is both a rich philosophical exploration of attention, and, now, with its clear and comprehensive accounts of classic and recent empirical work, the indispensable starting point for anyone with a philosophical interest in attention. Summing Up: Essential." - William Seager, CHOICE

"A ground-breaking exploration of what happens when we attend to things, Attention provides a thorough and original examination of the nature and functions of attention and its relationship to classical problems in philosophy and psychology. If you read only one book on attention this year, make it this one." - Berit Brogaard, University of Miami, USA

"A masterful survey of current work on attention, at once highly informative and readily accessible. It covers all the main current theories and empirical findings about how attention operates, its neural underpinnings, and its ties with agency, perception, cognition, and consciousness, adding much that is novel and challenging. This will be rich and rewarding reading for anybody curious about attention and the mind generally, and a must for anybody in philosophy of mind, philosophy of psychology, and cognitive science." - David Rosenthal, Graduate Center, City University of New York, USA

Wayne Wu is Professor in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh, USA.

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