Plain English Meaning

What a person is paying attention to right now. Out of everything around them, it is the one thing their mind is locked onto.

Full Definition

The specific object, idea, or sensation that a person's attention is centered on at a given moment, drawn from the wider field of things they could potentially notice. In instructional psychology, perception requires that the learner's attention be directed at the item being taught; whatever holds that attention becomes the focus of perception.

Context Anchor

Seen in flight instructor discussions about student motivation, attention, learning, and how a student interprets what is happening during training.

Derivation

‘Focus’ comes from the Latin word for ‘hearth’ or ‘fireplace,’ later used to mean the point where or attention converges. ‘Perception’ comes from the Latin percipere, meaning ‘to take in fully.’ Together the phrase describes the single where a person's is converging and taking something in.