Multimode theory refers to a theory which proposes that attention is flexible; selection of one (1) message over another message can be made at any of various different points in the course of information processing .
Multimode theory theory proposes that attention, as a flexible system , selects perceptual messages at any stage of processing, which is, sensory representation, semantic representation, or conscious awareness of the representations. The more processing it takes to select a stimulus, the more capacity and mental effort are required.