Auditory Distraction in the Item-color Binding Task: Support for a General Object-based Binding Account of the Changing-state Effect

Abstract

ABSTRACT Auditory distraction is mostly examined in tasks that rely on order processing. Auditory distraction in these tasks shows the hallmark of a changing-state effect: Changing auditory distractors disrupt performance more than repeated auditory distractors. However, changing auditory distractors may not specifically disrupt the binding of the items to their serial positions but more generally the binding of the items to their study contexts. In a previous study, memory for the binding between an item and a colored rectangle was found to be disrupted by irrelevant speech in comparison to a quiet control condition. Here, we extend this finding by showing that auditory distraction in the item-color binding task is subject to a changing-state effect. Serial-position curves in the item-color binding task did not have the characteristic bow shape that is seen as a marker of serial-order processing. Together, these findings suggest that changing-state effects are not specifically caused by serial-order interference. Instead, they reflect the pervasive principle that repeated distractors are easier to process than changing distractors. These findings support a general object-based binding account of the changing-state effect, according to which a mismatch within the same stream of auditory objects signals an increased need for processing that may draw processing resources away from ongoing tasks. Specifically, the binding of an item to its context is more severely disrupted by changing auditory distractors than by repeated auditory distractors.