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Brain Imaging Investigation of the Impairing Effect of Emotion on Cognition
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Expectations don't protect us from emotional distractions.
André Botes1,2, Imogen A Moore1,2, Gina M Grimshaw3,4
1School of Psychology, Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, 6012, New Zealand.
Attention, Perception & Psychophysics
|May 23, 2025
Summary
Expecting emotional distractors does not improve attentional control. Even when predictable, emotional stimuli capture attention, sometimes worsening distraction, suggesting expectation alone doesn't enhance cognitive control.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Attention Studies
Background:
- Emotional stimuli capture attention, which is usually adaptive but can hinder goal-directed tasks.
- Frequent emotional distractors may reduce distraction, possibly due to expectation or increased experience.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether expecting emotional distractors improves attentional control.
- To differentiate between expectation and experience as factors influencing attentional control over emotional distractors.
Main Methods:
- Three experiments were conducted using a letter identification task with emotional/neutral distractors.
- Distractors appeared predictably (every fourth trial) or unpredictably.
- Participant experience with distractors was controlled across conditions.
Main Results:
- Emotional distractors were more distracting than neutral ones.
- Predictability of emotional distractors did not improve, and sometimes worsened, attentional control.
- Incentives did not enhance performance despite predictable distractor presentation.
Conclusions:
- Expectation of upcoming emotional distractors does not enhance proactive attentional control.
- Experience with distractors, not mere expectation, may be key to improving attentional control over emotional stimuli.
Keywords:
AttentionDistractionDual mechanisms of controlEmotionEmotional distractionProactive controlReactive controlMore Related Videos
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