The Effect of Attention Scope on the Attention Capture Based on the Content of Verbal Working Memory

Abstract

Using the dual-task paradigm of working memory-visual search, the influence of attention scope on attention capture of verbal working memory was investigated. The results show that, firstly, under the condition of large attention range, the search accuracy of the target stimulus was significantly lower than that of the small attention range condition, and the search response time was obviously longer. Secondly, compared with the control condition, the subject’s search accuracy was distinctly lower and the response time was longer under the perceptual matching condition, while both of them are completely different under the semantic condition. Thirdly, the interaction between attention range and matching condition is significant in the reaction time index. The results of the simple effect test show that, taking the matching condition as the reference, the search response time in the large range condition is significantly longer than that in the small range condition under the control condition and the semantic condition. In the perceptual condition, there was no significant difference in response time between the large and small range conditions. As a result, the study has not only shown that size of attention range arises manifest effects on attention capture, but also has confirmed the phenomenon of attention capture in verbal working memory under perceptual representation. However, the stimulus matching with the content of verbal working memory on the semantic level fails to capture attention but produce inhibiting effect due to the influence of both cognitive control level of motivation and the accuracy of object representation.