Something old, something new: Attention in Wundt and modern cognitive psychology

The theories of attention of Wundt and various contemporary psychologists are described, compared, and related to experimental findings. It is argued that Wundt's theory is a viable alternative to contemporary formulations and that differences between the old and modern theories are based on different experimental paradigms. The historical relationship between Wundt and modern researchers is explored, showing that modern psychologists are generally ignorant of Wundt's psychology even when they adopt an approach quite compatible with it.