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The role of working memory in auditory selective attention
Polly Dalton1, Valerio Santangelo, Charles Spence
1Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey, UK. polly.dalton@rhul.ac.uk
Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (2006)
|June 27, 2009
Summary
Working memory is crucial for filtering out irrelevant auditory distractions. This study shows that higher working memory load increases interference from unwanted sounds, proving its role in auditory selective attention.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Perception
Background:
- Working memory is known to control visual distractor processing during selective attention.
- Recent studies indicate working memory is also vital for tactile information selection.
- The role of working memory in auditory selective attention remains largely unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the causal role of working memory in auditory selective attention.
- To determine if working memory capacity influences the processing of irrelevant auditory distractors.
Main Methods:
- Participants performed an auditory selective attention task, focusing on target noise bursts while ignoring distractor bursts.
- A concurrent working memory task was administered with either high or low cognitive load.
- Distractor interference was measured by comparing performance on congruent and incongruent distractor trials.
Main Results:
- Interference from auditory distractors significantly increased under high working memory load compared to low load.
- Performance differences between congruent and incongruent distractor trials were larger under high load.
- This indicates a greater susceptibility to distractors when working memory resources are depleted.
Conclusions:
- Working memory plays a critical role in suppressing irrelevant auditory distractors.
- These findings provide the first causal evidence for working memory's involvement in auditory selective attention.
- Working memory capacity directly impacts the ability to filter auditory distractions.
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