The role of working memory in attentional capture

Lavie, Nilli; de Fockert, Jan · 2005 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.3758/bf03196756

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Summary

This paper investigates the causal role of working memory in controlling visual selective attention, specifically regarding attentional capture by irrelevant distractors. While previous research established that working memory capacity correlates with performance in Stroop-like tasks, evidence for its causal role in visual search was scarce and often contradictory. The authors hypothesize that working memory provides goal-directed control, allowing individuals to minimize interference from goal-irrelevant stimuli. They predicted that when working memory is loaded with an unrelated task, the availability of resources for controlling attention decreases, leading to increased capture by salient distractors. To test this, the authors conducted three experiments using a visual search task where participants identified the orientation of a line within a target shape (a circle) among distractors (diamonds). An irrelevant color singleton (a green shape among red ones) was present on some trials to induce attentional capture. Experiment 1 compared a single-task condition with a dual-task condition where participants rehearsed six digits. Experiment 2 manipulated working memory load by varying the order of a four-digit memory set (random vs. sequential). Experiment 3 controlled for task-switching demands by varying memory set size (one digit vs. four digits) while requiring active maintenance in both conditions. In all experiments, attentional capture was measured by the increase in response times (RTs) when the singleton was present compared to when it was absent. The results consistently demonstrated that high working memory load significantly increased attentional capture. In Experiment 1, the singleton interference effect on RTs was significantly larger under the dual-task condition than the single-task condition. Experiment 2 replicated this finding, showing greater singleton interference under high load (random digit order) compared to low load (sequential order). Experiment 3 confirmed that this effect was due to working memory load per se rather than task-switching costs, as the singleton effect increased when the memory set size was larger, even though task switching requirements were constant. Error rates remained low across all conditions, indicating that the effects were driven by processing speed rather than accuracy. These findings provide strong evidence that working memory plays a causal role in the goal-directed control of visual selective attention. The study resolves discrepancies between previous search and Stroop-like studies by demonstrating that working memory is critical for rejecting distractors that are strong competitors for selection, such as salient singletons. The results imply that attentional capture is not purely stimulus-driven but is subject to top-down control mediated by working memory resources. When these resources are depleted, the ability to suppress irrelevant, salient information diminishes, leading to greater interference. This supports a general model where working memory actively maintains processing priorities to minimize distractor interference.

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Topics

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• attention selective divided
• visual search