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Published on: August 29, 2018
Perceptual load modulates attentional capture by abrupt onsets.
Joshua D Cosman1, Shaun P Vecera
1University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242-1407, USA. joshua-cosman@uiowa.edu
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
|March 19, 2009
Summary
Abrupt onsets capture attention, but this effect diminishes with increased visual complexity. High perceptual load in search displays significantly reduces attentional capture by sudden new objects.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Visual Attention
Background:
- Abrupt onsets typically capture attention involuntarily, suggesting stimulus-driven attentional control.
- Previous research often used simple displays, potentially limiting understanding of attentional capture mechanisms.
- Attention is a limited resource, implying that task complexity may influence attentional capture.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether perceptual load modulates attentional capture by abrupt onsets.
- To determine if stimulus-driven attentional capture is susceptible to top-down influences under high cognitive load.
Main Methods:
- A flanker task was employed to assess attentional capture.
- Participants searched for a target letter in low-load (set size 1) and high-load (set size 6) displays.
- Irrelevant onset and offset flankers were presented to measure their interference with target search.
Main Results:
- Onset flankers significantly interfered with search performance in low-load conditions.
- This attentional capture by onset flankers was absent in high-load conditions.
- Generalized slowing in high-load conditions did not account for the lack of capture; degraded target search showed slowing but not altered capture.
Conclusions:
- Attentional capture by abrupt onsets is significantly attenuated under high perceptual load.
- These findings indicate that stimulus-driven attentional capture can be modulated by top-down factors related to task demands.
- Visual search complexity plays a crucial role in determining the effectiveness of abrupt onsets in capturing attention.
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