In order to produce coherent behaviour in a complex world, forms of visual attention are necessary in order for us to select appropriate objects for action. Over the past ten years, there have been considerable advances in research into visual attention, with many of these advances linked to interdisciplinary research in experimental psychology, neuropsychology, neurophysiology and functional imaging. This work has begun to allow us to understand not only the functional properties of visual attention, but also how attentional processes are localized in the brain: the cognitive neuroscience of visual attention. This special issue draws together research from leading figures in this field, to highlight recent progress in understanding how selective processes operate in perception and action.

While the importance of the prefrontal cortex for "higher-order" cognitive functions is largely undisputed, no consensus has been reached regarding precise specifications of these functions. For example, although some degree of regional specialization within the frontal lobe seems inevitable, by and large, most attempts to map specific cognitive functions onto neuroanatomical and/or cytoarchitectonic subdivisions have been disappointing. Although a high degree of functional specialization probably exists within the frontal cortex, it seems increasingly likely that the structural organization of this system does not relate, in any straightforward way, to contemporary models of cognition.

While the importance of the prefrontal cortex for "higher-order" cognitive functions is largely undisputed, no consensus has been reached regarding precise specifications of these functions. For example, although some degree of regional specialization within the frontal lobe seems inevitable, by and large, most attempts to map specific cognitive functions onto neuroanatomical and/or cytoarchitectonic subdivisions have been disappointing. Although a high degree of functional specialization probably exists within the frontal cortex, it seems increasingly likely that the structural organization of this system does not relate, in any straightforward way, to contemporary models of cognition.

Contents:
W.X. Schneider, Introduction. I. Visual Attention Mechanisms for Shape-based Object Recognition. G.W. Humphreys, D. Heinke, Spatial Representation and Selection in the Brain: Neuropsychological and Computational Constraints. J.E. Hummel, B.J. Stankiewicz, Two Roles for Attention in Shape Perception: A Structural Description Model of Visual Scrutiny. II. Visual Attention Mechanisms for Perception and for the Control of Spatial-Motor Actions. H. Deubel, W.X. Schneider, I. Paprotta, Selective Dorsal and Ventral Processing: Evidence for a Common Attentional Mechanism in Reaching and Perception. L. Craighero, L. Fadiga, G. Rizzolatti, C. Umiltà, Visuomotor Priming. III. Visual Attention Mechanisms for the Construction (Binding) of Integrated Internal Objects. D.E. Irwin, R.D. Gordon, Eye Movements, Attention, and Transsaccadic Memory. E. Wojciulik, N. Kanwisher, Implicit but not Explicit Feature Binding in a Balint's Patient. B. Hommel, Event Files: Evidence for Automatic Integration of Stimulus-response Episodes. IV. Visual Attention Mechanisms Beyond Individual Functions. S. Hahn, A.F. Kramer, Further Evidence for the Division of Attention Among Noncontiguous Locations. M. Eimer, Mechanisms of Visual-Spatial Attention: Evidence from Event-related Brain Potential Studies. C. Bundesen, Visual Selective Attention.