Inhibition of distractor features in the attentional control setting

Dot-probe studies usually find an attentional bias towards threatening stimuli only in anxious participants. Here, we investigated under what conditions such a bias occurs in unselected samples. According to contingent-capture theory, an irrelevant cue only captures attention if it matches an attentional control setting. Therefore, we first tested the hypothesis that an attentional control setting tuned to threat must be activated in (non-anxious) individuals. In Experiment 1, we used a dot-probe task with a manipulation of attentional control settings (‘threat’ – set vs. control set). Surprisingly, we found an (anxiety-independent) attentional bias to angry faces that was not moderated by attentional control settings. Since we presented two stimuli (i.e., a target and a distractor) on the target screen in Experiment 1 (a necessity to realise the test of contingent capture), but most dot-probe studies only employ a single target, we conducted Experiment 2 to test the hypothesis that attentional bias in the general population is contingent on target competition. Participants performed a dot-probe task, involving presentation of a stand-alone target or a target competing with a distractor. We found an (anxiety-independent) attentional bias towards angry faces in the latter but not the former condition. This suggests that attentional bias towards angry faces in unselected samples is not contingent on attentional control settings but on target competition.

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The effects of attentional control setting and types of cues on attentional capture

Acta Psychologica Sinica ◽

10.3724/sp.j.1041.2016.01093 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 48 (9) ◽

pp. 1093

Author(s):

Li LIU ◽

Xuejun BAI

Keyword(s):

Attentional Capture ◽

Attentional Control ◽

Attentional Control Setting ◽

Control Setting

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Pupil dilation indexes effort exertion during the configuration of attentional control setting

Journal of Vision ◽

10.1167/16.12.86 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 16 (12) ◽

pp. 86

Author(s):

Jessica Irons ◽

Andrew Leber

Keyword(s):

Attentional Control ◽

Pupil Dilation ◽

Attentional Control Setting ◽

Control Setting

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Measures of RSA Suppression, Attentional Control, and Negative Affect Predict Self-Ratings of Executive Functions

Journal of Psychophysiology ◽

10.1027/0269-8803/a000053 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 25 (4) ◽

pp. 164-173 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Brian Healy ◽

Aaron Treadwell ◽

Mandy Reagan

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Heart Rate ◽

Regression Analysis ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia ◽

Attentional Control ◽

Executive Processes ◽

Sinus Arrhythmia ◽

Low Levels

The current study was an attempt to determine the degree to which the suppression of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and attentional control were influential in the ability to engage various executive processes under high and low levels of negative affect. Ninety-four college students completed the Stroop Test while heart rate was being recorded. Estimates of the suppression of RSA were calculated from each participant in response to this test. The participants then completed self-ratings of attentional control, negative affect, and executive functioning. Regression analysis indicated that individual differences in estimates of the suppression of RSA, and ratings of attentional control were associated with the ability to employ executive processes but only when self-ratings of negative affect were low. An increase in negative affect compromised the ability to employ these strategies in the majority of participants. The data also suggest that high attentional control in conjunction with attenuated estimates of RSA suppression may increase the ability to use executive processes as negative affect increases.

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