Target fixation

Target binding ( engl. target fixation ) occurs when a person is so focused on an object, it can pick up anything else.

A variant of this is the Moth Effect, which refers to the tendency of drivers to move towards a goal that stands out by light stimuli from the environment.

Examples

• Military fighter pilot focus too much on the plane that they want to shoot. Do not pay more attention therefore to their environment and their own aircraft. They can lose control of their plane and crash.
• Motorcyclists steer to where they look. If they are too focused on an obstacle that is on the road in front of them, they can use it to collide, without meaning to.

The target binding is sometimes life threatening.

• Cognitive Science
• Perception