Attention is the process of directing and focusing psychological resources to enhance perception, performance and mental experience. Attention is a limited resource that can be affected by distraction, selectivity or motivation, which is where habit takes over.

DIVIDED ATTENTION

This is the alternative management of several matters of interest at (almost) the same time, as when monitoring the progress of a motor program on a relatively subconscious level whilst making a radio call (time sharing). In this case, some tasks may suffer at the expense of others, especially if they are similar in nature.

SELECTIVE ATTENTION

With selective attention, one gives greater attention to one or more sources of input out of several. Such a selective mechanism is required because the resources of the Central Decision Maker and short-term memory are limited. It is the process during which information is sampled to see if it is relevant, which makes you able to detect information meant for you, such as your callsign, even if you are not specifically monitoring the source.