The Distractor Positivity Component and the Inhibition of Distracting Stimuli

Nicholas Gaspelin, Dominique Lamy, Howard E. Egeth, Heinrich R. Liesefeld, Dirk Kerzel, Ananya Mandal, Matthias M. Müller, Jeffrey D. Schall, Anna Schubö, Heleen A. Slagter, Brad T. Stilwell, Dirk van Moorselaar

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Abstract

There has been a long-lasting debate about whether salient stimuli, such as uniquely colored objects, have the ability to automatically distract us. To resolve this debate, it has been suggested that salient stimuli do attract attention but that they can be suppressed to prevent distraction. Some research supporting this viewpoint has focused on a newly discovered ERP component called the distractor positivity (PD), which is thought to measure an inhibitory attentional process. This collaborative review summarizes previous research relying on this component with a specific emphasis on how the PD has been used to understand the ability to ignore distracting stimuli. In particular, we outline how the PD component has been used to gain theoretical insights about how search strategy and learning can influence distraction. We also review alternative accounts of the cognitive processes indexed by the PD component. Ultimately, we conclude that the PD component is a useful tool for understanding inhibitory processes related to distraction and may prove to be useful in other areas of study related to cognitive control.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1693-1715
Number of pages23
JournalJournal of cognitive neuroscience
Volume35
Issue number11
Early online date1 Nov 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Funding

This project was made possible by National Science Foundation (https://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000169), grant number: BCS-2045624 to N.G. and the research group on “Handling Visual Distraction” funded by the Center for Advanced Studies at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.

FundersFunder number
National Science FoundationBCS-2045624

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