Visual attention is the cognitive process that allows individuals to focus on specific visual stimuli while ignoring others. It helps prioritize information in our environment, enabling us to process relevant details more efficiently. This mechanism is crucial for tasks such as reading, driving, or recognizing faces, as it directs our perception to what matters most. There are different types of visual attention, including selective attention, which focuses on one object, and divided attention, which manages multiple stimuli simultaneously. Factors like brightness, color, and movement can influence what captures our attention, making it easier to notice important elements in our surroundings.