The vulnerability of working memory to distraction is rhythmic

Abstract

Recent research posits that the cognitive system samples target stimuli in a rhythmic fashion, characterized by target detection fluctuating at frequencies of ~3-8 Hz. Besides prioritized encoding of targets, a key cognitive function is the protection of working memory from distractor intrusion. Here, we test to which degree the vulnerability of working memory to distraction is rhythmic. In an Irrelevant-Speech Task, N = 23 human participants had to retain the serial order of nine numbers in working memory while being distracted by task-irrelevant speech with variable temporal onsets. The magnitude of the distractorevoked N1 component in the event-related potential as well as behavioural recall accuracy, both measures of memory distraction, were periodically modulated by distractor onset time in approximately 2-4 cycles per second (Hz). Critically, an underlying 2.5-Hz rhythm explained variation in both measures of distraction such that stronger phasic distractor encoding mediated lower phasic memory recall accuracy. In a behavioural follow-up experiment, we tested whether these results would replicate in a task design without rhythmic presentation of target items. Participants (N = 6 with on average >2,500 trials, each) retained two line-figures in memory while being distracted by acoustic noise of varying onset across trials. In agreement with the main experiment, the temporal onset of the distractor periodically modulated memory performance. These results suggest that during working memory retention, the human cognitive system implements distractor suppression in a temporally dynamic fashion, reflected in ~400-ms long cycles of high versus low distractibility..

Delta/Theta band EEG activity shapes the rhythmic perceptual sampling of auditory scenes

“…Generally, such a relation of pre-stimulus power and perceptual performance has been observed in a wide range of perceptual studies across sensory modalities 8,14,[71][72][73][74][75][76] . However, most studies in the auditory domain reported effects predominantly at lower delta or theta band frequencies 8,9,[11][12][13][14]77 , while a role for alpha band activity is typically discussed for vision and spatial attention paradigms. Though, some studies have linked alpha power to auditory perception [78][79][80] .…”

Orienting auditory attention in time: Lateralized alpha power reflects spatio-temporal filtering

“…For statistical analyses, average proportion correct (PC) scores per participant and experimental condition (ranging from 0 to 1) were logit-transformed using an adapted logit-transform proposed by Fox & Weisberg (2019; see also Wöstmann et al, 2020). Single-trial response time (RT) data relative to the onset of the probe screen were removed in case they exceeded 3 seconds and transformed to response speed, quantified as 1/RT.…”

Effects of temporally regular versus irregular distractors on goal-directed cognition and behavior

“…It is possible that a resonance frequency also exists for the vulnerability to distraction. In a recent study, we found that the vulnerability to speech distractors fluctuates at around 2.5 Hz 20 . It might thus be that the frequencies of temporally regular distractors in the current study were either too slow (1.33 Hz in Experiment 3 and 4) or too fast (4 Hz for Experiment 1 and 2) to exert an influence on the eventual memory recall that would differ from temporally irregular distractors.…”

“…The current study aimed at filling this gap by investigating how the temporal regularity of distractor sequences influences goal-directed working memory. The onset time of distraction has recently been shown to modulate working memory interference 20 , 21 , demonstrating that temporal features of distractors may play an important role in the susceptibility to distraction in working memory tasks. When it comes to temporal regularity, temporally irregular distractors were recently found to be more disruptive to the detection of deviance in unmasked targets 22 .…”