{"title":"Testing individual differences in the preparation effect","authors":"Koby Lindzen, Roy Shoval, Tal Makovski","doi":"10.3758/s13414-025-03193-5","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>How do people prepare for the appearance of upcoming distractors? According to the preparation effect, observers do not inhibit distractors before their appearance; rather, they are more alert at those moments. In two large, online, pre-registered studies, we tested possible individual differences in the magnitude of the preparation effect. Specifically, we examined whether the preparation effect is related to working memory capacity and/or to the ability to filter out irrelevant information. The results indicated that the magnitude of the preparation effect did not correlate with these factors. These results highlight the rigidity of the preparation effect that does not seem to be related to working memory capacity or selective attention abilities. Moreover, that increased preparation does not result in less (or more) interference from upcoming distractor display, indicates that the preparation effect does not influence distractor rejection and further supports a mandatory 'process-all mechanism' as the underlying mechanism of the effect.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":55433,"journal":{"name":"Attention Perception & Psychophysics","volume":"88 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Attention Perception & Psychophysics","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13414-025-03193-5","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
How do people prepare for the appearance of upcoming distractors? According to the preparation effect, observers do not inhibit distractors before their appearance; rather, they are more alert at those moments. In two large, online, pre-registered studies, we tested possible individual differences in the magnitude of the preparation effect. Specifically, we examined whether the preparation effect is related to working memory capacity and/or to the ability to filter out irrelevant information. The results indicated that the magnitude of the preparation effect did not correlate with these factors. These results highlight the rigidity of the preparation effect that does not seem to be related to working memory capacity or selective attention abilities. Moreover, that increased preparation does not result in less (or more) interference from upcoming distractor display, indicates that the preparation effect does not influence distractor rejection and further supports a mandatory 'process-all mechanism' as the underlying mechanism of the effect.
期刊介绍：
The journal Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics is an official journal of the Psychonomic Society. It spans all areas of research in sensory processes, perception, attention, and psychophysics. Most articles published are reports of experimental work; the journal also presents theoretical, integrative, and evaluative reviews. Commentary on issues of importance to researchers appears in a special section of the journal. Founded in 1966 as Perception & Psychophysics, the journal assumed its present name in 2009.
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