Definitionv1DF-039
Attention residue
the structural property of human cognition where cognitive threads from an unfinished task compete for attention bandwidth during subsequent tasks, creating a hard floor on task-switching costs that preparation cannot eliminate
Why This Is a Definition
This definition precisely captures what attention residue means by identifying its genus (structural property of human cognition), its differentia (cognitive threads competing for attention bandwidth during subsequent tasks), and its functional characteristics (hard floor on task-switching costs, preparation cannot eliminate). It distinguishes this from mere distraction or focus issues and provides the specific cognitive mechanism behind the cost of task switching.