Practice in visual search produces decreased capacity demands but increased distraction

Wilson, Diane; MacLeod, Colin M.; Muroi, Miya

doi:10.3758/pp.70.6.1130

Cited by 14 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Emotional stimuli continued to elicit a larger LPP than neutral pictures even after several repetitions of the same scene. Finally, and possibly because of more practice having taken place, the effect size of emotional interference in the first block was higher, and more resistant to stimulus repetition, in Experiment 2 than in Experiment 1 (η 2 p = .41 vs. .15), consistent with previous findings that showed that as practice of the task increases interference from distracting information becomes stronger (Harris & Pashler, 2004;Wilson, MacLeod, & Muroi, 2008).…”

Section: Late Positive Potential (Lpp)supporting

confidence: 89%

The fate of unattended stimuli and emotional habituation: Behavioral interference and cortical changes

Codispoti

Cesarei

Biondi

et al. 2016

Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci

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The interference produced by the viewing of emotional distractors has been interpreted as evidence that emotional cues are processed in a fairly mandatory fashion, and that they divert attention from the primary ongoing task. However, few studies have examined how behavioral emotional interference varies with repeated presentation of the same emotional distractors. In two experiments, while participants were engaged in a parity judgment task, we investigated the effects of repetition of task-irrelevant emotional pictures, as reflected in both behavioral interference (Experiments 1 and 2) and neural activity (Experiment 2). Both experiments showed that the slowing of reaction times that was observed when viewing emotional, compared to neutral, scenes disappeared after only a few repetitions, suggesting diminished attention allocation to repeated emotional pictures. Conversely, in Experiment 2, neural correlates of picture processing revealed that the late positive potential (LPP) amplitude continued to be enhanced for emotional, compared to neutral, distractors despite picture repetition and the presence of a concurrent task. Altogether, these findings suggest that while evaluative processes are mandatory, and continue to engage cortico-limbic appetitive and defensive systems even after massive repetition, as suggested by the affective modulation of the LPP, attentional processes are not necessary after several repetitions of the same stimulus, as indicated by the rapid decline of behavioral emotional interference.

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Section: Late Positive Potential (Lpp)supporting

confidence: 89%

The fate of unattended stimuli and emotional habituation: Behavioral interference and cortical changes

Codispoti

Cesarei

Biondi

et al. 2016

Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Finally, in our close replication of the Lavie and Cox (1997) procedure using a peripheral distractor and a modified version using a central distractor (Wilson et al, 2008), we found that this change in the distractor location did not affect overall RT, and that it also did not reliably influence the load effect; in both cases, as set size increased, distractor interference decreased. However, it is important to note that the possibility remains that manipulations of load could have qualitatively different effects on distractor processing for distractors presented in central locations versus those presented in peripheral locations.…”

Section: Central Versus Peripheral Distractormentioning

confidence: 76%

Dilution, not load, affects distractor processing.

Wilson

Muroi

MacLeod

2011

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Perfor

123

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Lavie and Tsal (1994) proposed that spare attentional capacity is allocated involuntarily to the processing of irrelevant stimuli, thereby enabling interference. Under this view, when task demands increase, spare capacity should decrease and distractor interference should decrease. In support, Lavie and Cox (1997) found that increasing perceptual load by increasing search set size decreased interference from an irrelevant distractor. In three experiments, we manipulated the cue set size (number of cued locations) independently of the display set size (number of letters presented). Increasing the display set size reduced distractor interference regardless of whether the additional letters were relevant to the task. In contrast, increasing the cue set size increased distractor interference. Both findings are inconsistent with the load explanation, but are consistent with a proposed two-stage dilution account.

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“…This might be the case if the information needed to evaluate a statement as true or false is voluminous, not well organized in memory, or not completely coded. Reaction times for simple tasks such as searching visual displays or for complex athletic performances are known to decrease with practice (Wilson, MacLeod, and Muroi 2008;Yarrow, Brown, and Krakauer 2009). The time needed to search one's memory for the information learned from the experimental map and text is also likely to decrease with more experience.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Learning Geographic Information from a Map and Text: Learning Environment and Individual Differences

Lloyd

Bunch

2010

Cartographica

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A map is frequently combined with a text to provide spatial and non-spatial information for learners. How a map and a text are combined and the characteristics of learners are keys for understanding successful learning. This study used a cognitive experiment to investigate spatial learning by explaining performance on a test of acquired knowledge with variables related to the learning environment and to individual differences of learners. Results indicate that having participants read a text beside a map produced the best performance. Participants were more successful at learning the information in the text and less successful at learning the information on the map. Performance was measured by accuracy, reaction time, and confidence measures; a standardized index for overall efficiency combined these measures. Performance was significantly related to individual difference variables measuring experience, verbal and spatial working memory capacity, 2D/4D digit ratio, and cognitive style. Sex and gender variables were not significantly related to variations in performance. In complex learning situations, as in processing a combined map and text, the expected verbal and spatial processing advantages of female and male learners may both produce positive results. In more complex cases, variables related to brain asymmetry, memory capacity, and cognitive style may provide more useful explanations of performance. RésuméOn associe souvent du texte à une carte pour fournir des renseignements spatiaux et non spatiaux aux apprenants. La manière dont la carte et le texte sont associés et les caractéristiques des apprenants sont des éléments clés pour expliquer cet apprentissage. Dans l'étude, on se sert d'une expérience cognitive pour évaluer un apprentissage spatial et expliquer le rendement obtenu à un test sur les connaissances acquises en tenant compte des variables relatives au milieu d'apprentissage et aux différences individuelles d'un apprenant à l'autre. D'après les résultats, les meilleurs rendements sont obtenus quand les participants lisent le texte à côté de la carte. Les participants apprenaient mieux les renseignements contenus dans le texte et moins ceux de la carte. Le rendement a été mesuré en fonction de la précision, du temps de réaction et des mesures de confiance; un indice normalisé de l'efficacité globale combinait ces mesures. Le rendement était étroitement lié aux variables de la différence individuelle qui mesurait l'expérience, la capacité de la mémoire opérationnelle verbale et spatiale, le rapport numérique 2D/4D et le style cognitif. Les variables du sexe et du genre n'étaient pas liées de près aux variations du rendement. Dans des situations d'apprentissage complexe, comme lors du traitement d'une carte avec du texte, les avantages prévus relativement au traitement verbal et spatial pourraient produire des résultats positifs tant pour les apprenants que pour les apprenantes. Dans des cas plus complexes, les variables liées à l'asymétrie du cerveau, à la capacité de la mémoire et au style cognit...

show abstract

Practice in visual search produces decreased capacity demands but increased distraction

Cited by 14 publications

References 18 publications

The fate of unattended stimuli and emotional habituation: Behavioral interference and cortical changes

The fate of unattended stimuli and emotional habituation: Behavioral interference and cortical changes

Dilution, not load, affects distractor processing.

Learning Geographic Information from a Map and Text: Learning Environment and Individual Differences

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