Lapses of attention.

The literature on lapses of attention is organized and reviewed. This includes a review of different types of lapses, different measures of lapses, and neural and physiological correlates of lapses. A general attention resource-allocation framework is proposed to explain lapses and what factors influence their occurrence. These factors include arousal/alertness, external distraction, personal concerns and negative thoughts, motivational/conative factors, task factors, and person factors. Research is reviewed suggesting that lapses have downstream effects on a number of processes including selective attention and attention control, working memory, learning, reading comprehension, and error monitoring. Finally, lapses in everyday life are reviewed. A number of future directions are discussed and it is suggested that more research is needed to refine our definition and theories of lapses and examine additional ways of curtailing lapses.