Stimulus-Driven Capture

Stimulus-Driven Capture is the process by which certain stimuli capture our attention automatically. For example, when we’re at a party and someone in the room takes a photo using flash, our attention instantly and involuntarily shifts to the camera flash, even though we were not expecting it. Research has shown that attention can be either stimulus-driven or goal-driven, whereby our attention is captured by cues we are actively searching for or expecting.