Ai 2020 - Issue selecting and moving objects, layers, and groups.

Ai 2020 - Most threads addressing this subject are based on older versions of Ai (2013 etc), so in order not to get info based on older versions, in case the newer version tweaked stuff, Im posting this new thread.

Im having a major problem with consistancy when it comes to selecting Objects and Layers/Groups. I know that selecting/moving can be dependant on whether you use "Selection Tool" or "Direct Selection Tool". I also know that "Direct Selection Tool" is more specific to Paths, Anchors, and Handles (I think), but either can be used to move whole objects.

The problem Im having is:

Lets say I have four circles in a project, so four object layers in the layer panel, from top to bottom in the layer panenel (front to back), all the same size, all overlapping eachother. No matter which object/layer/group I choose from the layer panel, no matter if I have "Selection Tool" or "Direct Selection Tool" selected, when I go to move them in tproject window (artboard/canvas) more often then often a matter of chance whether or not I start moving the actual desire object/layer I want (lets say oject/layer 4 from the circles example), or if it'll randomly select a different object layer (lets say object/layer 1) and start moving it. Half the time, even if I just have one of the objects selected, when I start moving it it selcts the whole group and move and starts moving it, if a group is a factor that is. Even more infuriating is when the objects/layers arent even overlapping or in the same group. And please know when I say "overlapping, I mean that the object/layers boundry boxes arn't overlapping, not just the paths/shape.

Im wondering if Illustrator has anything like Photoshop that has the feature to check/uncheck "Auto-select (Layer/Group)" with relation to the "Move Tool" that Im just missing.

Any help would be deeply appreciated.