Surprise as an explanation to auditory novelty distraction and post-error slowing

Abstract

Performance in sustained attention tasks is known to be slowed by the occurrence of unexpected task-irrelevant distractors (novelty distraction) and the detection of errors (post-error slowing); two well-established phenomena studied separately and regarded as reflecting distinct underpinning mechanisms. We measured novelty distraction and post-error slowing in an auditory-visual oddball task to test the hypothesis that they both involve an orienting response. Our results confirm that the two effects exhibit a positive interaction. We show that a trial-by-trial measure of surprise credibly accounts for our empirical data. We suggest that novelty distraction and post-error slowing both reflect an orienting response to unexpected events and a reappraisal of action plans. Everyday efficient performance often requires the ability to adjust to distractors and modify our behavior when we make errors. This is illustrated by two well-established phenomena: novelty distraction and post-error slowing. Novelty distraction is defined as the detrimental effect of unexpected (novel) versus predictable (standard) task-irrelevant stimuli on ongoing task performance (e.g., Parmentier, 2014; Schröger, 1996), reflecting the involuntary capture of attention by the unexpected stimulus and the cost of the involuntary orienting of attention to and from that stimulus (e.g., Escera, Alho, Winkler, & Näätänen, 1998; Parmentier, Elford, Escera, Andrés, & Miguel, 2008; Schröger, 1996). Post-error slowing refers to the slowing of responses following the commission of an error relative to that of a correct response (Jentzsch & Dudschig, 2009) and is thought to reflect an increase in cognitive control to minimize the risk of further errors (Botvinick, Braver, Barch, Carter, & Cohen, 2001). At first sight, these phenomena appear to be distinct. Here we suggest that both phenomena might involve an orienting response.