The selective perceptual capacity whereby some aspects of an event or a scene are ‘spotlighted’ or taken up into consciousness while others are ignored or not noticed at all. It is the capacity by which some things but not others determine a subject’s take on a scene or interpretation of the scene. Aspects of a scene to which one has paid attention enter into working memory, inferences, and descriptions of the environment. They therefore also become important in directing action compared to other features to which one pays no attention.