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Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Using Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Measure Set-Specific Capture, a Consequence of Distraction While Multitasking
Published on: August 29, 2018
Reduction in auditory distraction by retrieval strategy
Nick Perham1, Simon P Banbury, Dylan M Jones
1Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK. PerhamNR@cardiff.ac.uk
Abstract:
Most research on auditory distraction on task performance focuses on those features of the sound that determine a drop in efficiency, with scant regard for examining the processing properties inherent in the focal task. We report how one such property, retrieval strategy, can also influence the degree of disruption by background sound. Using a task that called for the retrieval of realistic train journey information, we showed that retrieval by categories of verbal sequences was not susceptible to disruption by office sound - 65-75 dB(A). However, versions of the task requiring either free or serial recall showed evidence of disruption, a pattern of results consistent with the changing-state account of the irrelevant sound effect, which highlights the key role of serial rehearsal in determining disruption.
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