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Opposing effects of perceptual versus working memory load on emotional distraction

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Abstract

Throughout our day-to-day activities, we are subjected to numerous stimuli that compete for our attention; consequently, we must prioritize stimuli for further processing and influence over behaviour. Previous research has demonstrated that the extent to which task-irrelevant distractors are processed is mediated by the nature of the cognitive task, and the level of processing load. Importantly though, the interaction between cognitive task, processing load, and emotional distractor processing remains unclear. This is a particularly important question given the unique ways that emotion interacts with attention, and the fact that some other forms of processing load have been shown to reduce emotional distractor encoding. In the present study, participants were presented with emotional distractors during a perceptual and working memory task, under varying levels of load. In Experiment 1, we showed that the impact of emotional distractors on behaviour was reduced under conditions of high relative to low perceptual load. However, in sharp contrast, high working memory load was associated with increased emotional distraction. Importantly, these results were replicated in Experiment 2. Overall, the impact of processing load on emotional distraction varies according to the cognitive function being performed. These results raise the intriguing possibility that working memory operations deplete some of the cognitive resources needed to control the impact of emotion on behaviour. The findings, therefore, may have important implications for clinical populations featuring cognitive dysfunction and emotional dysregulation.

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Acknowledgments

The study was supported by a Discovery Grant from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada to D.G.V.M. The authors would like to thank Jenna Zaleski, Amber McCallum, Meaghan Philp, and Gabrielle Brook for assistance with data collection and data entry.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

    Tamara P. Tavares & Derek G. V. Mitchell

  2. The Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5B7, Canada

    Tamara P. Tavares & Derek G. V. Mitchell

  3. Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Kyle Logie

  4. Departments of Psychiatry, Anatomy and Cell Biology, and Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

    Derek G. V. Mitchell

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  1. Tamara P. Tavares
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  2. Kyle Logie
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  3. Derek G. V. Mitchell
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Correspondence to Derek G. V. Mitchell.

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Tavares, T.P., Logie, K. & Mitchell, D.G.V. Opposing effects of perceptual versus working memory load on emotional distraction. Exp Brain Res 234, 2945–2956 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-016-4697-2

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