ForsterLaviePBR.pdf (208.22 kB)
Entirely irrelevant distractors can capture and captivate attention
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 15:21 authored by Sophie ForsterSophie Forster, Nilli LavieThe question of whether a stimulus onset may capture attention when it is entirely irrelevant to the task and even in the absence of any attentional settings for abrupt onset or any dynamic changes has been highly controversial. In the present study, we designed a novel irrelevant capture task to address this question. Participants engaged in a continuous task making sequential forced choice (letter or digit) responses to each item in an alphanumeric matrix that remained on screen throughout many responses. This task therefore involved no attentional settings for onset or indeed any dynamic changes, yet the brief onset of an entirely irrelevant distractor (a cartoon picture) resulted in significant slowing of the two (Experiment 1) or three (Experiment 2) responses immediately following distractor appearance These findings provide a clear demonstration of attention being captured and captivated by a distractor that is entirely irrelevant to any attentional settings of the task.
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Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Published version
Journal
Psychonomic Bulletin & ReviewISSN
1531-5320Publisher
Springer VerlagExternal DOI
Issue
6Volume
18Page range
1064-1070Department affiliated with
- Psychology Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2013-07-09First Open Access (FOA) Date
2013-07-16First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2013-07-15Usage metrics
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