Maybe even better, “it gathers”. There is not “a source of attention” that “points” attention somewhere. Rather attention itself gathers in clumps, providing salience as, and of, something that seems like “a coherent group that notices itself”. Attention is the single resource in the universe that can be leveraged to introduce novelty into the system.
The very quiet can seem more salient than the very loud. But how?
I was walking to work and while crossing over the highway I noticed that the sound of traffic below me seemed quite loud, nearly overwhelmingly so, but, somehow, even more clearly over that I could hear the subtle, faint, sound of my hair brushing against my hood, and, even though I could hear it better, […]