Distraction and Mind-Wandering Under Load

Abstract

Attention research over the last several decades has provided rich insights into the determinants of distraction, including distractor characteristics, task features, and individual differences. Load Theory represented a particularly important breakthrough, highlighting the critical role of the level and nature of task-load in determining both the efficiency of distractor rejection and the stage of processing at which this occurs. However, until recently studies of distraction were restricted to those measuring rather specific forms of distraction by external stimuli which I argue that, although intended to be irrelevant, were in fact task-relevant. In daily life, attention may be distracted by a wide range of stimuli, which may often be entirely unrelated to any task being performed, and may include not only external stimuli but also internally generated stimuli such as task-unrelated thoughts. This review outlines recent research examining these more general, entirely task-irrelevant, forms of distraction within the framework of Load Theory. I discuss the relation between different forms of distraction, and the universality of load effects across different distractor types and individuals.

Identifying visual targets amongst interfering distractors: Sorting out the roles of perceptual load, dilution, and attentional zoom

“…The PL paradigm has also been used with distractors that have shapes completely unrelated to the task, in order to see whether PL affects processing of these totally irrelevant distractors (see Forster, 2013, for a review). Forster and Lavie (2008b) varied PL in a letter-identification task in different blocks.…”

Finding a link between guided search and perceptual load theory

“…As such, a prominent issue is the point at which stimuli are allotted or denied further processing-a point known as the locus of selection-and the early versus late selection debate (Broadbent, 1958;Deutsch & Deutsch, 1963) focused upon whether the locus of selection occurred early or late in visual processing. Perceptual load theory offered a resolution to the debate by suggesting that the locus of selection is not fixed, but rather shifted from early to late depending upon the perceptual load imposed on the observer by the display (Forster, 2013;Lavie, 1995Lavie, , 2005Lavie, , 2010Lavie, Hirst, de Fockert, & Viding, 2004; for a conceptually different interpretation of load theory as an early selection account only, see Benoni & Tsal, 2013).…”

“…Finally, we can compare the overlap between guided search and visual selection through the displays where the distractor either does or does not match the target colour. Effective attentional guidance may allow the searcher to locate the target faster, but it could also prompt increased distractor processing if the distractor matches the target colour-akin to contingent attentional capture (Becker, Folk, & Remington, 2010, 2013Folk & Anderson, 2010;Folk & Remington, 2008;Folk, Remington, & Johnston, 1992).…”

Towards the safety of human-in-the-loop robotics: Challenges and opportunities for safety assurance of robotic co-workers'

“…Less common psychophysiological methods would be required to provide the robot with dynamic information on a far shorter time scale, such as tracking eye gaze to continuously monitor the human's focus of attention [20] and predict mind wandering [21], or 3D motion capture information to track the human's arm movements [22]. Models on Joint Action Understanding in humans [10] might give a first idea about the cognitive architecture necessary within the robot.…”