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Selective inhibition of distracting input
MaryAnn P Noonan1, Ben M Crittenden2, Ole Jensen3
1Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3UD, United Kingdom.
Behavioural Brain Research
|October 19, 2017
Summary
Distractor suppression, crucial for attention, may not rely on top-down control. Instead, it often involves secondary inhibition and learning environmental regularities for effective cognitive processing.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Attention Research
Background:
- Distractor suppression is vital for focused attention.
- Top-down attentional mechanisms are traditionally assumed to control this suppression.
- Alternative models propose predictive coding frameworks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review studies on distractor suppression mechanisms.
- To evaluate the role of top-down control versus alternative models.
- To explore secondary inhibition and expectation suppression.
Main Methods:
- Review of behavioral studies.
- Analysis of neuroimaging evidence.
- Inclusion of findings from animal studies.
Main Results:
- Limited evidence supports selective top-down control of preparatory inhibition.
- Distractor suppression frequently involves secondary inhibition of non-target items.
- Environmental statistical regularities, learned through experience, play a significant role.
Conclusions:
- Preparatory distractor suppression is not primarily driven by selective top-down attentional control.
- Secondary inhibition and predictive coding mechanisms are more likely drivers of distractor suppression.
- Learning and environmental regularities are key to effective distractor suppression.
