The relationship between attentional blink and psychological refractory period.

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between attentional blink (AB) and psychological refractory period (PRP) using a conventional AB procedure combined with a requirement of speeded responses to the second target (T2). Experiments 1 and 2 showed that, as with PRP, memory retrieval of targets is not a necessary condition for the occurrence of AB in terms of accuracy and that AB occurred in the speed data. Experiment 3 further indicated that the PRP-like speed data were not due to the first target serving as a warning signal that triggered preparation of responses to T2. Experiment 4 manipulated T2 stimulus intensity to be normal or low. Results showed an underadditive interaction between stimulus intensity and lag position in the speed data, whereas an overadditive interaction was found in the accuracy data, suggesting 2 sources of interference leading to AB: the single-channel bottleneck and resource-limited visual-processing capacity.