Psychology Visuals
Psychology and self-help books are great, but I’ve often found that powerful visuals that are easy to digest are much more effective in helping me understand big concepts and ideas.
There are plenty of these available online, but I wanted to create some of my favourites, and add some additional context to help you understand the concepts much easier.
Visual attention refers to the ability to prepare for, select, and maintain awareness of specific locations, objects, or attributes of the visual scene (or an imagined scene). The focus of visual attention can be redirected to a new target either reflexively or through the purposeful effort of the observer.
The center of gaze typically follows the focus of attention, but the observer can intentionally dissociate the two, thereby demonstrating that the neural systems controlling eye movements and attention are at least partially distinct.
The specific purpose and mode of action of attention are topics of significant debate. Direction of visual attention to a target can enhance the detection of subtle changes in brightness, color, or virtually any other attribute of interest.
Changes in the visual scene not associated with the target are less readily detected unless they are sufficiently salient to reflexively redirect attention. Some visual attributes require focused attention to be perceived correctly.
What is visual attention?
You’re in the kitchen, standing at the stove, looking out the window into the backyard. What do you see? A swimming pool? The dog chasing a squirrel? Whatever it is – whatever object, color, or movement you zoom in on – results from the proper operation of your visual attention.