注意促进效应:注意与记忆关系的新见解

Attentional Boost Effect: New insights on relationship between attention and memory

注意资源通常被认为是有限的,因此编码时的双任务操作会分散注意资源,从而削弱随后的记忆成绩。但Swallow和Jiang(2010)发现,目标探测性质的二级任务不仅不会削弱记忆成绩,甚至可能会提高记忆成绩,产生注意促进效应(Attentional Boost Effect,ABE),并于2013年提出ABE的双任务交互作用模型。该模型认为,ABE的产生是源于目标探测反应触发了暂时性的时间选择性注意机制,促进了对同时呈现的背景信息在编码早期的知觉加工。但随后的一些实验结果却与该模型存在着矛盾,暗示着ABE可能并不只源于背景信息的知觉加工增强;ABE与分心拒绝下的抑制并非完全无关;ABE并不只产生于编码的早期阶段等。因此未来研究仍需继续探索或修正ABE的产生机制及理论模型。

Divided attention during encoding has long been known to impair later memory performance due to limited attentional resources. However, Swallow and Jiang（2010） reported a surprising variation of this phenomenon using a secondary target detection task. The appearance of a secondary target--a behaviorally relevant, attentionally demanding stimulus, was associated with enhanced memory for concurrent information, an effect labeled the Attentional Boost Effect（ABE）. A dual-task interaction model was proposed to account for the ABE. This model states that the ABE reflects a temporal selective attention mechanism triggered by target-detection, which then facilitates early perceptual processing of the target as well as the background stimulus that coincides with it. However, several following studies do not support this model. So we suppose that the enhanced perceptual encoding might not be the only reason for the ABE; whereas a suppression effect due to distractor rejection might also contribute to the ABE; and the ABE might also arise from the later phase other than the early encoding phase. Therefore, further research is needed to explore all possible mechanisms and hereby modify the theoretical model for the ABE.