ABC Science Show of 2007-06-02 (podcast from 25:50) Jason Mattingley "To what extent are our attentional mechanisms responsible for shaping the way we perceive the world" William James 1907 one of the founding fathers of experimental psychology he said "Everyone knows what attention is. It the taking by the mind in clear and vivid form of one out of what seems several simultaneously possible objects or trains of thought focalisation concentration of consciousness are of its essence implies withdrawal from some things in order to deal effectively with others".