When Loading Working Memory Reduces Distraction: Behavioral and Electrophysiological Evidence from an Auditory-Visual Distraction Paradigm

• Published in: Journal of cognitive neuroscience Vol. 20; no. 7; pp. 1131 - 1145
• Main Authors: SanMiguel, Iria, Corral, María-José, Escera, Carles
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: One Rogers Street, Cambridge, MA 02142-1209, USA MIT Press 01.07.2008; MIT Press Journals, The
• Subjects: Acoustic Stimulation - methods; Adult; Analysis of Variance; Attention - physiology; Brain Mapping; Cognition & reasoning; Contingent Negative Variation - physiology; Ears & hearing; Electroencephalography - methods; Evoked Potentials - physiology; Female; Humans; Male; Memory; Memory, Short-Term - physiology; Neurosciences; Photic Stimulation - methods; Reaction Time - physiology; Sensory perception; Task Performance and Analysis; Time Factors

The sensitivity of involuntary attention to top-down modulation was tested using an auditory-visual distraction task and a working memory (WM) load manipulation in subjects performing a simple visual classification task while ignoring contingent auditory stimulation. The sounds were repetitive stand...