Dr. Amishi Jha

In fact, attention isn't one thing.

Yep.

It's actually three things.

It's a trio of functions that are probably going to be important to think about because it helps us understand that to do this prioritizing, we need to orient our experience in multiple ways.

Yeah, so it...

is biasing every single thing that the brain does.

It is, in some sense, the boss of the brain.

Really?

Wherever attention goes, the rest of the brain's computational functions are aligned with whatever it is that you pay attention to.

That's why it's so powerful.

Because when you're paying attention to the right things, meaning those that serve you and align with what you're trying to do, great.

But when you are not, everything is basically going to go in the wrong direction.

Every sensory system connects with attention.

And it's not just about our perceptual ability or our sensory experience.

Even the internal domain of our entire minds is accessible through attention.

So when we talk through the various types of attention, I think that'll become very, very clear.

But you honed in on the right thing, which is that attention is tied to perception.

And what it does in one way it functions is by turning up the volume on what you hear, making more clear what you see.

If it has to do with our sensory experience, it's like amplifying the tactile input that we get.

It is a type of amplifier.