Attention, distraction, and cognitive control under load

Current Directions in Psychological Science

Volumn 19, Issue 3, 2010, Pages 143-148

  Lavie, Nilli ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

Attention; Capacity limits; Distraction; Executive control; Load; Perception; Working memory

Indexed keywords

EID: 77954484226     PISSN: 09637214     EISSN: 14678721     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/0963721410370295     Document Type: Article

References (25)

1. Bishop, S.J., Jenkins, R., & Lawrence, A. (2007). (See References). An interesting application of the load theory to research of the brain mechanisms involved in emotional control.
2. Lavie, N., Hirst, A., De Fockert, J.W., & Viding, E. (2004). (See References). Discusses the load theory and its relation to research of executive control in more detail than the current article.
3. Lavie, N., & Robertson, I. (2001). The role of perceptual load in visual neglect: Rejection of ipsilesional distractors is facilitated with higher central load. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 13, 867- 876. Provides an empirical example of the beneficial effects of perceptual load for patients with visual neglect.
4. Lavie, N., & Tsal, Y. (1994). Perceptual load as a major determinant of the locus of selection in visual attention. Perception & Psychophysics, 56, 183-197. Discusses the early versus late selection debate and reviews the related literature in more detail than the current paper.
5. Bavelier, D., Dye, M.W.G., & Hauser, P. (2006). Do deaf individuals see better? Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 10, 512-518.
6. Bishop, S.J., Jenkins, R., & Lawrence, A. (2007). The neural processing of task-irrelevant fearful faces: Effects of perceptual load and individual differences in trait and state anxiety. Cerebral Cortex, 17, 1595-603.
7. Brand-D'Abrescia, M., & Lavie, N. (2008). Task coordination between and within sensory modalities: Effects on distraction. Perception & Psychophysics, 70, 508-515.
8. Broadbent, D.E., Cooper, P.F., FitzGerald, P., & Parkes, K.R. (1982). The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) and its correlates. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 21, 1-16.
9. Cartwright-Finch, U., & Lavie, N. (2007). The role of perceptual load in inattentional blindness. Cognition, 102, 321-340.
10. Dalton, P., Lavie, N., & Spence, C. (2009). The role of working memory in tactile selective attention. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 62, 635-644.
11. De Fockert, J.W., Rees, G., Frith, C.D., & Lavie, N. (2001). The role of working memory in visual selective attention. Science, 291, 1803-1806.
12. Engle, R.W. (2002). Working memory capacity as executive attention. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 11, 19-23.
13. Forster, S., & Lavie, N. (2007). High perceptual load makes everybody equal: Eliminating individual differences in distractibility with load. Psychological Science, 18, 377-382.
14. Forster, S., & Lavie, N. (2008). Failures to ignore entirely irrelevant distractors: The role of load. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 14, 73-83.
15. Forster, S., & Lavie, N. (2009). Harnessing the wandering mind: The role of perceptual load. Cognition, 111, 345-55.
16. Jenkins, R., Lavie, N., & Driver, J.S. (2005). Recognition memory for distractor faces depends on attentional load at exposure. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 12, 314-320.
17. Lavie, N. (2005). Distracted and confused? Selective attention under load. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 9, 75-82.
18. Lavie, N. (2006). The role of perceptual load in visual awareness. Brain Research, 1080, 91-100.
19. Lavie, N., & De Fockert, J.W. (2005). The role of working memory in attentional capture. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 12, 669-674.
20. Lavie, N., Hirst, A., De Fockert, J.W., & Viding, E. (2004). Load theory of selective attention and cognitive control. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 133, 339-354.
21. Lavie, N., Lin, Z., Zokaei, N., & Thoma, V. (2009). The role of perceptual load in object recognition. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 35, 1346-1358.
22. Macdonald, J., & Lavie, N. (2008). Load induced blindness. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 34, 1078-1091.
23. Rees, G., Frith, C., & Lavie, N. (1997). Modulating irrelevant motion perception by varying attentional load in an unrelated task. Science, 278, 1616-1619.
24. Remington, A., Swettenham, J., Campbell, R., & Coleman, M. (2009). Selective attention and perceptual load in autism spectrum disorder. Psychological Science, 20, 1388-1393.
25. Wallace, J.C., & Vodanovich, S.J. (2003). Can accidents and industrial mishaps be predicted? Further investigation into the relationship between cognitive failure and reports of accidents. Journal of Business and Psychology, 17, 503-514.