Imagine a busy street. Our brains can selectively suppress the flashing lights and honking horns, allowing us to focus on crossing safely. This remarkable ability is goal-driven, meaning we can choose where to “tune out” distractions.
However, this superpower has limitations. Reliable clues about where distractions are most likely are key. If these cues are weak or change frequently, our brains switch to a different strategy, like ignoring familiar sounds, according to a research study taken up by Vaishnavi Mohite, a Ph. D student at the Action Control and Cognition Lab (ACCL) at the University of Hyderabad (UoH).
Think of attention as a limited resource. Using this control takes brain power, and if the task isn’t important enough, our brains might decide to conserve that energy for other things. But the good news is, we can adapt. If the task changes over time, our brains can gradually adjust their “distraction filter” to match the new situation, she said, in a press release on Wednesday.
