Distracted and confused?: selective attention under load.
The ability to remain focused on goal-relevant stimuli in the presence of potentially interfering distractors is crucial for any coherent cognitive function. However, simply instructing people to ignore goal-irrelevant stimuli is not sufficient for preventing their processing. Recent research reveals that distractor processing depends critically on the level and type of load involved in the processing of goal-relevant information. Whereas high perceptual load can eliminate distractor processing, high load on "frontal" cognitive control processes increases distractor processing. These findings provide a resolution to the long-standing early and late selection debate within a load theory of attention that accommodates behavioural and neuroimaging data within a framework that integrates attention research with executive function.
Lavie
Nilli
N
Department of Psychology and Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK. n.lavie@ucl.ac.uk
D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D005364:Field Dependence-Independence; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000502:physiology*; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D008606:Mental Processes / Q000502:physiology*; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009042:Motivation; D010470:Perceptual Masking / Q000502:physiology*