Inhibition in selective attention

Abstract

Our ability to focus on goal-relevant aspects of the environment is critically dependent on our ability to ignore or inhibit distracting information. One perspective is that distractor inhibition is under similar voluntary control as attentional facilitation of target processing. However, a rapidly growing body of research shows that distractor inhibition often relies on prior experience with the distracting information or other mechanisms that need not rely on active representation in working memory. Yet, how and when these different forms of inhibition are neurally implemented remains largely unclear. Here, we review findings from recent behavioral and neuroimaging studies to address this outstanding question. We specifically explore how experience with distracting information may change the processing of that information in the context of current predictive processing views of perception: by modulating a distractor’s representation already in anticipation of the distractor, or after integration of top-down and bottom-up sensory signals. We also outline directions for future research necessary to enhance our understanding of how the brain filters out distracting information.

Neural mechanisms underlying distractor inhibition on the basis of feature and/or spatial expectations

“…Finally, no location learning-related changes in anticipatory alphaband activity were observed, suggesting that distractor location learning did not result in generic proactive spatial suppression, in line with two previous studies (Noonan et al, 2016;van Moorselaar & Slagter, 2019), but in contrast to another recent study . Together, the current findings corroborate the idea that distractor suppression strongly depends on learning based on previous experiences with distracting information (Noonan et al, 2018;van Moorselaar & Slagter, 2020) and reveal the neural mechanisms underlying learned inhibition. In the below, we discuss these findings in more detail in light of the existing literature.…”

“…Consistent with previous studies (e.g.,) (Bacon & Egeth, 1994;Theeuwes, 1992), in mixed-feature blocks the colored distractor singleton reliably captured attention, while in fixed-feature blocks this capture was reduced, but nevertheless reliable. It should be noted though that in fixed-feature blocks, distractor interference was only evident at the start of each block when observers were introduced to a new stimulus configuration, and it disappeared once they were accustomed to the new context, in line with the idea that statistical learning plays a critical role in distractor inhibition (van Moorselaar & Slagter, 2020). Also replicating previous findings, introducing a spatial bias greatly reduced distractor interference at high probability distractor locations.…”

“…For example, a recent study by Wang and Theeuwes (2018) demonstrated that in a mixed-feature variant of the additional singleton paradigm, salient singleton distractors were more efficiently ignored at locations with a high distractor probability, even though almost all participants were unaware of the embedded statistical regularity (see also) (Ferrante et al, 2018;Goschy, Bakos, Müller, & Zehetleitner, 2014;Leber, Gwinn, Hong, & O'Toole, 2016). These findings add to a rapidly growing body of research that shows that distractor inhibition may not be under voluntary, top-down control, but greatly relies on expectations derived from past experience about the likelihood of events or statistical learning (Noonan, Crittenden, Jensen, & Stokes, 2018;Theeuwes, 2019;van Moorselaar & Slagter, 2020).…”

“…Although there are many situations in which salient distractors inevitably capture attention, there is a growing consensus that even in singleton detection mode, salient distractors can nevertheless be suppressed before they capture attention. Critically, however, this appears specific to conditions that allow observers to learn, often implicitly, from statistical regularities across search displays (Chelazzi, Marini, Pascucci, & Turatto, 2019;van Moorselaar & Slagter, 2020). For example, a recent study by Wang and Theeuwes (2018) demonstrated that in a mixed-feature variant of the additional singleton paradigm, salient singleton distractors were more efficiently ignored at locations with a high distractor probability, even though almost all participants were unaware of the embedded statistical regularity (see also) (Ferrante et al, 2018;Goschy, Bakos, Müller, & Zehetleitner, 2014;Leber, Gwinn, Hong, & O'Toole, 2016).…”

GABAergic modulation of performance in response inhibition and interference control tasks

“…Furthermore, benzodiazepines may decrease the ability to differentiate between distractor and target (Michael et al, 2007) and impair attentional switching (Post et al, 1997). The influence of benzodiazepines on attentional processes is relevant in the context of inhibitory control, given the close link between inhibition and attention (Barkley, 1997;Moorselaar & Slagter, 2019;Verbruggen et al, 2008). However, only little is known about benzodiazepine influences on inhibitory control.…”