TY - JOUR
T1 - Task relevance modulates processing of distracting emotional stimuli
AU - Lichtenstein-Vidne, Limor
AU - Henik, Avishai
AU - Safadi, Ziad
N1 - Funding Information:
Correspondence should be addressed to: Limor Lichtenstein-Vidne, Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, POB 653, Beer-Sheva, Israel. E-mail: [email protected] This research was supported by the Israel Science Foundation, grant no. 859/01. Ziad Safadi is now at the Department of Psychiatry, Howard University Hospital, Washington, DC, USA.
PY - 2012/1/1
Y1 - 2012/1/1
N2 - Numerous studies have claimed that emotional stimuli are able to capture attention automatically when presented outside the main focus of attention. In the current study this claim was tested by using task-relevant and task-irrelevant emotional stimuli. Specifically, in two experiments the effect of emotional stimuli presented in the periphery of attention was tested by using a flanker task. Results showed that emotional stimuli did not capture attention in an unconditional manner. Emotional distracting stimuli created interference only when they were relevant to the task. The findings suggest that "task relevance" is determined by (a) task requirements, and/or (b) target characteristics. The current results have implications for the concept of cognitive load and automaticity of processing emotional stimuli.
AB - Numerous studies have claimed that emotional stimuli are able to capture attention automatically when presented outside the main focus of attention. In the current study this claim was tested by using task-relevant and task-irrelevant emotional stimuli. Specifically, in two experiments the effect of emotional stimuli presented in the periphery of attention was tested by using a flanker task. Results showed that emotional stimuli did not capture attention in an unconditional manner. Emotional distracting stimuli created interference only when they were relevant to the task. The findings suggest that "task relevance" is determined by (a) task requirements, and/or (b) target characteristics. The current results have implications for the concept of cognitive load and automaticity of processing emotional stimuli.
KW - Emotional stimuli
KW - Selective attention
KW - Task relevance
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84858256179&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/02699931.2011.567055
DO - 10.1080/02699931.2011.567055
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84858256179
SN - 0269-9931
VL - 26
SP - 42
EP - 52
JO - Cognition and Emotion
JF - Cognition and Emotion
IS - 1
ER -