Logo image
Back
Context-dependent control over attentional capture
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Context-dependent control over attentional capture

Joshua D Cosman and Shaun P Vecera
Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance, Vol.39(3), pp.836-848
06/2013
DOI: 10.1037/a0030027
PMCID: PMC3924559
PMID: 23025581

View Online

Abstract

A number of studies have demonstrated that the likelihood of a salient item capturing attention is dependent on the "attentional set" an individual employs in a given situation. The instantiation of an attentional set is often viewed as a strategic, voluntary process, relying on working memory systems that represent immediate task priorities. However, influential theories of attention and automaticity propose that goal-directed control can operate more or less automatically on the basis of longer term task representations, a notion supported by a number of recent studies. Here, we provide evidence that longer term contextual learning can rapidly and automatically influence the instantiation of a given attentional set. Observers learned associations between specific attentional sets and specific task-irrelevant background scenes during a training session, and in the ensuing test session, simply reinstating particular scenes on a trial-by-trial basis biased observers to employ the associated attentional set. This directly influenced the magnitude of attentional capture, suggesting that memory for the context in which a task is performed can play an important role in the ability to instantiate a particular attentional set and overcome distraction by salient, task-irrelevant information.
 Young Adult Attention - physiology Learning - physiology Humans Adult Task Performance and Analysis Association Learning - physiology

Details

Metrics

25 Record Views
70 Times Cited - Web of Science
Logo image