Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Visual evoked responses were monitored while participants searched for a target (e.g., bird) in a four-object display that could include a semantically related distractor (e.g., fish). The occurrence of both the target and the semantically related distractor modulated the N2pc response to the search display: The N2pc amplitude was more pronounced when the target and the distractor appeared in the same visual field, and it was less pronounced when the target and the distractor were in opposite fields, relative to when the distractor was absent. Earlier components (P1, N1) did not show any differences in activity across the different distractor conditions. The data suggest that semantic distractors influence early stages of selecting stimuli in multielement displays.

Original publication

DOI

10.1162/jocn.2009.21348

Type

Journal article

Journal

J Cogn Neurosci

Publication Date

10/2010

Volume

22

Pages

2212 - 2225

Keywords

Adolescent, Adult, Attention, Brain Mapping, Electroencephalography, Evoked Potentials, Visual, Eye Movements, Female, Functional Laterality, Humans, Male, Photic Stimulation, Reaction Time, Semantics, Visual Perception, Young Adult