This work investigates the clinical manifestations and underlying mechanisms of disorders affecting human attention and sensory perception. Monte Jay Meldman, a psychiatrist, synthesizes clinical observations and experimental data to categorize how cognitive deficits disrupt an individual's interaction with their environment. The text provides a framework for identifying specific symptomatic patterns in patients suffering from various psychological and neurological conditions.

Experts recognize this monograph as a specialized contribution to the experimental psychology literature of its era. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which serves as a historical reference point for understanding the evolution of diagnostic criteria in clinical psychology.