Spacetime attention for performance

Performance psychology research often lacks theoretical and philosophical depth. Whether interventions work or fail, the discipline lacks the ability to explain why. We address this gap in this article. We propose a model of behavior grounded in functional contextualism, relational frame theory, and critical realism that positions attention as the key behavioural process to performance. We define attention as dynamic and discriminative information processing that fluctuates across spacetime. Our spacetime attention framework explains how these fluctuations, adaptive or maladaptive, are contextually-bound: based on our environment and learned experiences. We argue that performance is impaired when contextual attentional demands exceed capacity, that expertise reduces specific attentional demands, that relational development of private experiences increases attentional load, and that mindful acceptance reduces maladaptive relational development. Our framework provides a philosophy- and theory-driven approach to individualising performance psychology interventions, especially those that use experiential exposure such as pressure training. By integrating attention theory with contextual behavioural science, we offer a more comprehensive understanding of performance psychology that can guide future research and practice.