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Updated: Feb 6, 2026

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
Published on: July 16, 2015
The visual guidance of action is not insulated from cognitive interference: A multitasking study on
Frederic Göhringer1, Miriam Löhr-Limpens1, Thomas Schenk1
1Lehrstuhl für Klinische Neuropsychologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Leopoldstr. 13, 80802 Munich, Germany.
Abstract:
The Perception-Action Model (PAM) considers the visual system to be divided into two streams defined by their specific functions, a ventral stream for vision and a dorsal stream for action. In this study we investigated two behavioral paradigms which according to PAM represent the two contrasting functions of the ventral and dorsal stream, namely bisection and obstacle-avoidance, respectively. It is an assumption of PAM that while ventral stream processing is ultimately linked with processing in other cognitive systems, dorsal stream processing is insulated from cognition. Accordingly it can be expected that a secondary task will interfere with bisection but not with obstacle-avoidance. We tested this prediction using a rapid serial visual presentation task as our secondary task (RSVP). Contrary to expectations we found significant interference for both bisection and obstacle-avoidance. Our findings suggest that dorsal-stream processing is not insulated from cognitive processes.
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