Attention, Psychology, and Pluralism

Abstract

There is an overriding orthodoxy amongst philosophers that attention is a ‘unified phe-nomenon’, subject to explanation by one monistic theory. In this article, I examine whether this philosophical orthodoxy is reflected in the practice of psychology. I argue that the view of attention that best represents psychological work is a variety of conceptual pluralism. When it comes to the psychology of attention, monism should be rejected and pluralism should be embraced.