Load Theory of Selective Attention and Cognitive Control

Lavie, Nilli
Hirst, Aleksandra
de Fockert, Jan W.
Viding, Essi

¹Department of Psychology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
²Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths College, University of London, London, United Kingdom
³Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, London, United Kingdom.

⁴Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Nilli Lavie, Department of Psychology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom. E-mail: [email protected]

This research was supported by a Medical Research Council (United Kingdom) career award to Nilli Lavie.

Received Date: January 28, 2003; Revised Date: April 29, 2004; Accepted Date: May 3, 2004

Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 133(3):p 339-354, September 2004.

A load theory of attention in which distractor rejection depends on the level and type of load involved in current processing was tested. A series of experiments demonstrates that whereas high perceptual load reduces distractor interference, working memory load or dual-task coordination load increases distractor interference. These findings suggest 2 selective attention mechanisms: a perceptual selection mechanism serving to reduce distractor perception in situations of high perceptual load that exhaust perceptual capacity in processing relevant stimuli and a cognitive control mechanism that reduces interference from perceived distractors as long as cognitive control functions are available to maintain current priorities (low cognitive load). This theory resolves the long-standing early versus late selection debate and clarifies the role of cognitive control in selective attention.