Focus of attention

Focus of Attention is a psychological term used mostly in perceptual psychology and also in cognitive psychology, referring to the mind's ability to direct its inner awareness upon a particular target. Historically the term is found in ancient meditation writings and methods by such yoga masters as Patanjali in India in the first century AD, and in Buddhist meditation writings of the same general historic period. In the history of psychology much research was conducted to determine how the brain employs focused attention as a perceptual function. Cognitive science also explored how the mind focuses on ideas and inner mental activities. In most therapy methods, much attention is paid to a client's focusing habits and attention fixations. Recently in business awareness management training, considerable effort has been put into business [http://www.amsmethod.com/ mind management methods] for improving alertness, performance, and innovation. A quick look at [http://www.google.com/search?q=focus+of+attention&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&ie=utf8&oe=utf8/ Google articles] shows the term being used in many different contexts.