Models of sustained attention

Attention is not constant, but fluctuates from moment-to-moment. Multiple neurocognitive factors contribute to these fluctuations, acting to help us get 'in the zone' as well as pulling us away from this optimal and fleeting state. Models of arousal, mind wandering, cognitive resource allocation, and effort have consequences for this fundamental process. Integrating these models with an understanding of how attentional fluctuations impact information processing-from stimulus to motor representations-will help to reveal the causes and consequences of these fluctuations. This integrated perspective has implications for a range of clinical populations and cognitive processes that rely on attention.