Concurrent response-selection demands modulate the attentional blink

The number of stimulus and response alternatives was varied in the 1st task of an attentional blink (AB) experiment (both tasks unspeeded) and in a speeded AB paradigm (SAB; speeded immediate response in Task(1)). Accuracy in Task(2) did not depend on the number of alternatives in the AB paradigm (Experiment 1); however, accuracy in Task2 decreased as alternatives increased in the SAB paradigm (Experiments 2-3). Longer response times in Task(1) were associated with lower accuracy in Task2. The results suggest that the duration of central processing in Task(1) modulates the AB phenomenon. The results are discussed in the context of the central interference theory. The theory provides a unified theoretical framework within which the AB and SAB paradigms, the probe signal paradigm, and the psychological refractory period paradigm can be analyzed and understood.