Advertisements, traffic signs, shop windows and smartphone messages: a severe battle for our attention is taking place every day. But how does attention actually work?
Why do we notice some things straight away, while we completely ignore other stuff? Cognitive psychologist Stefan van der Stigchel shows you how the brain processes information and what this means for daily life. He describes various techniques by which our attention is directed to something and explains how ‘attention architects’ (like advertisers, airport designers and website builders) use these tools to both our advantage and disadvantage.
Stefan van der Stigchel is associate professor at Utrecht University and head of the research group the Attentionlab. The group's aim is to study how attention and visual awareness shape the perception of the world around us. Van der Stigchel is a member of The Young Academy of young top scientists within the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences and author of Zo werkt aandacht (This is how attention works), a popular science book about attention.