Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Top-down preparation contributes to intertrial priming in singleton search.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2025
Same author

Action planning can override exogenous cueing effects.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2025
Same author

Context-dependent modulation of spatial attention: prioritizing behaviourally relevant stimuli.

Cognitive research: principles and implications·2025
Same author

A novel demonstration of preparation in pop-out search.

Canadian journal of experimental psychology = Revue canadienne de psychologie experimentale·2024
Same author

Gender differences in cognitive and affective interpersonal emotion regulation in couples: an fNIRS hyperscanning.

Social cognitive and affective neuroscience·2023
Same author

Exploring Reference Frame Integration Using Response Demands in a Tactile Temporal-Order Judgement Task.

Multisensory research·2021
Same journal

The length of a piece of string: Where the whole is more than the sum of its constituent parts.

Psychological research·2026
Same journal

The influence of older age, individual differences in cognitive abilities, and state of mind on learning novel categories.

Psychological research·2026
Same journal

Effects of transcranial electrical stimulation on face identification and related perceptual processes: a systematic review.

Psychological research·2026
Same journal

Context-dependent motor-semantic interactions: evidence from dual-task paradigms in semantic fluency.

Psychological research·2026
Same journal

A dual-process account of metaphorical embodiment.

Psychological research·2026
Same journal

Influence of stimulus material and effector specificity on performance in the measurement of interference control in adolescent handball and soccer players compared to non-player controls.

Psychological research·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 6, 2026

A Dual Task Procedure Combined with Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Test Attentional Blink for Nontargets
08:45

A Dual Task Procedure Combined with Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Test Attentional Blink for Nontargets

Published on: December 5, 2014

9.5K

Preparing to attend in a two-target task.

Ben C Sclodnick1, Bruce Milliken2, David I Shore2,3

  • 1Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada. sclodnbc@mcmaster.ca.

Psychological Research
|November 29, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Preparatory states, influenced by task instructions, significantly impact selective attention. This study shows that how participants prepare for a task affects their ability to identify targets, even when facing an attentional blink.

More Related Videos

Using Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Measure Set-Specific Capture, a Consequence of Distraction While Multitasking
05:58

Using Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Measure Set-Specific Capture, a Consequence of Distraction While Multitasking

Published on: August 29, 2018

9.2K
Methods to Test Visual Attention Online
09:44

Methods to Test Visual Attention Online

Published on: February 19, 2015

12.4K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 6, 2026

A Dual Task Procedure Combined with Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Test Attentional Blink for Nontargets
08:45

A Dual Task Procedure Combined with Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Test Attentional Blink for Nontargets

Published on: December 5, 2014

9.5K
Using Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Measure Set-Specific Capture, a Consequence of Distraction While Multitasking
05:58

Using Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Measure Set-Specific Capture, a Consequence of Distraction While Multitasking

Published on: August 29, 2018

9.2K
Methods to Test Visual Attention Online
09:44

Methods to Test Visual Attention Online

Published on: February 19, 2015

12.4K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Experimental Psychology

Background:

  • Selective attention is crucial for processing information.
  • The attentional blink is a well-documented deficit in identifying a second target when it appears shortly after a first target.
  • Understanding factors that modulate selective attention is key to cognitive function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of preparatory states in selective attention within a two-target task.
  • To examine how preceding events influence attention to the first target (T1) and the attentional blink for the second target (T2).

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a skeletal two-target paradigm.
  • Introduced a preceding stimulus/response event before each two-target trial.
  • Manipulated task instructions for the preceding event to assess their impact on attention.

Main Results:

  • Neither T1 nor T2 identification was affected by the stimulus/response features of the preceding event.
  • Both T1 and T2 identification were significantly influenced by the task instructions associated with the preceding event.
  • The attentional blink for T2 was modulated by preparatory states.

Conclusions:

  • Preparatory states, particularly those cued by task instructions, play a critical role in modulating selective attention.
  • Cognitive control over attention is strongly influenced by anticipatory processes.
  • Findings highlight the importance of task-set preparation in overcoming attentional limitations.