Temporal attention modulates distraction resistance of visual working memory representations.

Abstract

The regulation of Visual Working Memory (VWM) distraction resistance by internal attention remains debated with four hypotheses: the null hypothesis (attentional priorities don't affect distraction resistance), protection hypothesis (higher priority, greater distraction resistance), vulnerability hypothesis (higher priority, lower distraction resistance), and available resource threshold hypothesis (distraction resistance depends on attentional resource allocation exceed required thresholds). A recent study found that temporal attention can influence VWM priorities, yet this hasn't been explored from the perspective of temporal attention. This study used a continuous reporting task to examine these issues. Experiment 1 established stable attentional priority using an auditory cue, while Experiment 2 removed this cue to introduce dynamic priority changes. To explore neural mechanisms, Experiment 3 employed EEG to measure contingent negative variation (CNV) and decode priority representations during the delay period. Behavioral results confirmed that visual distractors increased memory deviation during maintenance, but deviations were smaller for anticipated high-priority items, suggesting better memory accuracy. High-priority items showed greater resistance to distraction at long intervals. Without the auditory cue, high-priority items resisted distraction better at short intervals. EEG results revealed enhanced CNV before long interval targets and better decoding of priority with distractors during long intervals. In summary, distraction affects different priority items equally when resources exceed requirements. High-priority items resist interference when adequately resourced but suffer if resources are insufficient, supporting the available resource threshold hypothesis. This study highlights the temporal dynamics of distraction resistance in VWM representations.