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Attention is both the preparedness for and mental selection of certain aspects of the physical environment or ideas in one's mind. Several researchers have argued that there might be more than one singular form of attention. Converging data from behavioural, imaging, electrophysiological, developmental and genetic assay studies provide compelling evidence that alerting, orienting and executive attention constitute three largely independent networks.

Alerting defines the ability to increase and maintain response readiness in preparation for an impending stimulus. It is task-specific and can be distinguished from the domain-general cognitive control of arousal. Neuroimaging studies have shown activity in the frontal and parietal regions, particularly of the right hemisphere, when people are required to achieve and maintain the alert state.