The article discusses the relationship between attention and emotion, emphasizing that both are mediated by motivational systems evolved to support survival. Orienting, a key aspect of attention, involves detecting significance, enhancing perceptual processing, and preparing for action. These processes are indexed by physiological responses such as skin conductance changes, cardiac deceleration, and event-related potentials (ERPs). Stimulus novelty and significance play distinct roles in orienting, with novelty leading to initial responses and significance modulating the magnitude of these responses. The orienting response habituates over time, with different components habituating at different rates. The late positive potential (LPP) is a reliable index of stimulus significance, showing sustained effects even after repeated exposure. The article also explores the functional role of orienting in survival, highlighting how it helps organisms detect and respond to potentially threatening or rewarding stimuli. The distinction between involuntary (passive) and voluntary (active) orienting responses is discussed, with active orienting involving task-relevance and instructions. Overall, the research underscores the integration of attention and emotion, showing how they are closely linked through motivational systems that support perception and action.The article discusses the relationship between attention and emotion, emphasizing that both are mediated by motivational systems evolved to support survival. Orienting, a key aspect of attention, involves detecting significance, enhancing perceptual processing, and preparing for action. These processes are indexed by physiological responses such as skin conductance changes, cardiac deceleration, and event-related potentials (ERPs). Stimulus novelty and significance play distinct roles in orienting, with novelty leading to initial responses and significance modulating the magnitude of these responses. The orienting response habituates over time, with different components habituating at different rates. The late positive potential (LPP) is a reliable index of stimulus significance, showing sustained effects even after repeated exposure. The article also explores the functional role of orienting in survival, highlighting how it helps organisms detect and respond to potentially threatening or rewarding stimuli. The distinction between involuntary (passive) and voluntary (active) orienting responses is discussed, with active orienting involving task-relevance and instructions. Overall, the research underscores the integration of attention and emotion, showing how they are closely linked through motivational systems that support perception and action.