filter theory of selective attention

Selective attention is the psychological concept of focusing awareness on specific stimuli while ignoring others. This is due to the brain's limited capacity to process all incoming information simultaneously.12

Early theories, like Broadbent's filter theory, proposed a "bottleneck" in information processing. This filter allowed only certain signals, based on their physical properties, to pass through for further analysis, while others were lost. Later modifications suggested the filter doesn't block, but rather attenuates, unattended information, allowing highly relevant stimuli (like one's own name) to still be perceived. Some theories propose that all signals reach the brain, but are weighted differently based on current circumstances or importance, with the highest weighted signal gaining awareness. While everyday experience suggests parallel processing, experimental evidence indicates attention may rapidly alternate between tasks, or one task may be performed more automatically.2