Optimal task-sets override attentional capture by rare cues.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Visual Attention

Background:

• Spatially irrelevant precues typically do not capture attention if cue and target features mismatch.
• Recent findings suggest rare onset cues might capture attention regardless of target features, implying cognitive impenetrability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if attentional capture by rare onset cues can be prevented.
• To examine if frequency effects on attentional capture are limited to onset cues.
• To determine if cognitive control can modulate attentional capture by rare cues.

Main Methods:

• Replication of previous findings on rare onset cue capture.
• Experiments manipulating target display features to enhance task-set or suppress cue features.
• Presentation of rare color cues with nonmatching color targets.
• Introduction of nontargets in cue colors to test suppression effects.

Main Results:

• Rare onset cues captured attention in a replication experiment.
• Capture by rare onset cues was prevented when a white nontarget was present.
• Rare color cues also captured attention.
• Capture by rare color cues was prevented when a nontarget in the cue color was added.

Conclusions:

• Attentional capture by rare cues is not cognitively impenetrable.
• Capture can be prevented by optimizing task-set and directing suppressive bias against cue features.
• Cognitive control mechanisms can effectively modulate automatic attentional responses.