Abstract
Posner and colleagues link attention networks — alerting, orienting, executive control — to conscious access and clinical attention deficits.
Posner, M. I. (2012). Frontiers in Psychology, 3, 64. DOI
Key findings
- Three networks — Attention splits into alerting, orienting, and executive networks — not one faculty.
- Conscious access — Network efficiency shapes what reaches awareness — gate before story.
- Clinical bridge — ADHD and related profiles map to network-specific deficits in this frame.
- Trainable edges — Some network functions respond to training and cues — context design matters.
Limits
Review article — network model evolves; not a single diagnostic test.
Application
When focus feels like one dial — ask which network failed: alert, orient, or executive control. See Exteroception.