ATTENTVSDISTRACT · Distraction and task-performance optimization: an integrative neurocognitive approach

Distraction and task-performance optimization: an integrative neurocognitive approach

Many everyday tasks demand our undivided attention. To perform these tasks efficiently, we have to focus on a small set of task-relevant stimuli and disregard irrelevant ones. A 'perfect' attention set, however, cannot be achieved: task-irrelevant, but salient or unpredictable sensory events often capture our attention, that is, we get distracted. In this basic research project, we investigated the processes contributing to the balance of task-focused attention and distraction in the auditory domain. By measuring event-related brain potentials (ERPs) and event-related magnetic fields (ERFs) in novel experimental paradigms, we investigated: 1) the ways in which selective attention sets build on and influence auditory sensory processing; 2) the mechanisms contributing to the maintenance of attention sets in the face of distracting stimuli, that is, how distraction can be prevented; and 3) how actions and action-stimulus associations influence the processing of sounds. 1) We showed that stimulus-focused attention speeds up the sensory detection of sound events, as indicated by the lower latency of the N1 ERP component. We also demonstrated that dedicated neural structures in the auditory system support this detection activity not only for simple, first-order but for higher-order changes as well. We found that beside sound onsets, sound offsets have a characteristic, attention-dependent ERP signature, which reflects the allocation of attention. This ERP can be used to monitor the disruption of attention set. We showed that distraction plays a role in the auditory attentional blink phenomenon: when sounds are presented in rapid succession, distracting task-irrelevant sounds prevent the detection of immediately following task-relevant sounds. 2) We showed that cues preceding infrequent, unpredictably occurring, potentially distracting sounds enable the elimination of distraction effects by means of stimulus-specific preparatory activities in addition to a general enhancement of the attention focusing effort. We separated the ERP components reflecting distractor-specific and general, distraction-related processing. We also showed that the distraction-preventive effects reflect the voluntary extraction and utilisation of cue-information and not processing interference resulting from the presentation of the cue. 3) We demonstrated that stimulus-response associations determining correct responses in a discrimination task are not represented as independent stimulus-response translation rules. We demonstrated that actions coinciding with sounds influence the sensory processing of sounds, even in the absence of action-effect contingencies. Building upon this result, we found evidence suggesting that this effect is not caused by voluntary, rather by reflexive allocation of attention to the (non-auditory) feedback caused by the action. We also found that actions coinciding with unpredictable sensory changes (but not those coinciding with predictable ones) are treated differentially by the cognitive system, similarly to task-relevant action-stimulus coincidences. This suggests that the basis for action-effect binding is the ability to cause explicit changes in the sensory environment. These results extend our knowledge on auditory processing and its event-related potential correlates, and provide insights on the dynamic allocation and disruption of attention in various settings. The developed paradigms may be useful in understanding psychological states in which the attention-distraction balance is shifted due to various factors (aging, maturation, pathologies, sleep deprivation, etc.), thereby providing opportunities for further research into, and treatment of distraction-related attention disorders. The acquired knowledge may also inform guidelines and provide design principles for safe work environments and efficient user interfaces.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union