Attention, habituation and conditioning: toward a computational model

Is attention a purely perceptual process or is it in any way related to motor control? The aim of this article is to show that attention puts similar demands on a cognitive system as motor control and present evidence supporting the view that similar mechanisms operate in the two processes. A computational model of attention is presented that uses habituation as well as classical and instrumental conditioning to explain a number of attentional processes. Evidence from neurophysiology is reviewed that suggest that attention is controlled in a way similar to actions. This view makes it possible to adapt traditional learning theoretical mechanisms to the control of attention. Computer simulations are presented that illustrates the operation of the model.