title: On the neural mechanisms underlying the protective function of retroactive cuing against perceptual interference: Evidence by event-related potentials of the EEG.
abstract: This EEG study investigated the protective effect of retroactive attentional focusing on working memory. To this effect, we used a visuo-spatial working memory task and presented block-wise distractor displays after working memory contents had been updated by means of a retroactive cue (retro-cue). Retroactive attention attenuated the interfering effect of distractors on memory precision. The reduction of working memory load by means of a selective retro-cue was reflected by a decline of a negative slow wave over parietal sites. Posterior N1 to the distractor was reduced following a selective retro-cue compared to a neutral retro-cue condition, most notably at left hemispheric sites. P3b referred to the distractor was suppressed completely only following a selective retro-cue. This suggests that focusing on only a subset of visuo-spatial information represented in working memory releases cognitive resources for preventing the in-depth processing of subsequently irrelevant visual events, thereby inhibiting their transfer into working memory.
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Research Centre of Working Environment and Human Factors, TU Dortmund, Germany. Electronic address: schneiderd@ifado.de.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Research Centre of Working Environment and Human Factors, TU Dortmund, Germany.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barth
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Research Centre of Working Environment and Human Factors, TU Dortmund, Germany.
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Getzmann
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Research Centre of Working Environment and Human Factors, TU Dortmund, Germany.
authors.forename: Edmund
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wascher
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D003463:Cues; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D010470:Perceptual Masking / Q000502:physiology*; D065855:Spatial Processing / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult