Distraction in Visual Working Memory: Resistance is Not Futile

• Published in: Trends in cognitive sciences Vol. 25; no. 3; pp. 228 - 239
• Main Authors: Lorenc, Elizabeth S., Mallett, Remington, Lewis-Peacock, Jarrod A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-03-2021
• Subjects: Cognition; distraction; forgetting; Humans; interference; Memory, Short-Term; Neurosciences; resilience; working memory; forgetting; distraction; interference; working memory; resilience
• ISSN: 1364-6613; 1879-307X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2020.12.004

Over half a century of research focused on understanding how working memory is capacity constrained has overshadowed the fact that it is also remarkably resistant to interference. Protecting goal-relevant information from distraction is a cornerstone of cognitive function that involves a multifaceted collection of control processes and storage mechanisms. Here, we discuss recent advances in cognitive psychology and neuroscience that have produced new insights into the nature of visual working memory and its ability to resist distraction. We propose that distraction resistance should be an explicit component in any model of working memory and that understanding its behavioral and neural correlates is essential for building a comprehensive understanding of real-world memory function.
A complete understanding of working memory function in a world full of distraction requires a careful examination of the neural evidence for mechanisms of distraction resistance.Recent advances in testing and modeling behavioral distraction effects in working memory have led to a more nuanced understanding of the ways in which representations can be affected by task-irrelevant information.Sophisticated measurement methods and analyses that can track the contents of working memory have revealed a diverse array of storage mechanisms and neural substrates, which may differ meaningfully in their distraction resistance properties.Control processes that actively inhibit distractor interference and flexibly adapt storage processes are key contributors to the remarkable resilience of working memory performance.