Distraction by unexpected sounds: comparing response repetition and response switching

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Auditory Perception

Background:

• Oddball tasks demonstrate that unexpected auditory stimuli capture attention and impair performance.
• The differential impact of deviant stimuli on response repetitions versus switches remains under-explored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether the impact of deviant sounds on behavior is modulated by response repetition or switching.
• To examine the influence of stimulus sequence balancing on the observed effects.

Main Methods:

• Simulated 10,000 stimulus sets for a two-alternative forced-choice (2-AFC) task to assess trial type proportions.
• Conducted a 2-AFC oddball task where participants judged tone duration, with controlled stimulus sequences balancing response repetitions and switches.

Main Results:

• Stimulus simulations indicated response switches are more likely than repetitions in uncontrolled sequences, suggesting past distraction effects might be underestimated.
• Deviant sounds significantly delayed response repetitions but accelerated response switches in the tone duration judgment task.

Conclusions:

• Deviant sounds impede cognitive processes supporting response repetition while facilitating response switching.
• Findings align with theories of involuntary attention, adaptive stimulus detection, and partial repetition costs.