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Reward-associated distractors can harm cognitive performance.
Dorottya Rusz1, Erik Bijleveld1, Michiel A J Kompier1
1Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Plos One
|October 5, 2018
Summary
Pursuing rewards can worsen cognitive task performance by increasing distractions. Reward-associated stimuli, especially early on, significantly impair performance on demanding tasks.
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Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Economics
Background:
- Distractions, or performance drops near task-irrelevant stimuli, are common during cognitive tasks.
- The influence of reward pursuit on these attentional lapses is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how the pursuit of monetary rewards affects cognitive task performance under distraction.
- To determine if stimuli associated with rewards exacerbate distraction effects.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted using a math task with potential monetary rewards.
- Participants were exposed to task-irrelevant stimuli, some previously linked to rewards and others not.
Main Results:
- Experiment 1 showed that reward-associated distractors impaired performance compared to non-reward cues.
- Experiment 2 partially replicated this, finding the effect significant only when distractors appeared early in task performance.
- Results suggest reward associations can amplify the detrimental impact of distractors.
Conclusions:
- Reward pursuit can heighten susceptibility to distractions during cognitive tasks.
- The timing of reward-associated stimuli plays a role in their distracting effects.
- Understanding this interaction is crucial for optimizing cognitive performance in reward-motivated contexts.