Dissociable interference-control processes in perception and memory

ABSTRACT-Control over interference is a pervasive feature of cognitive life. Central to research on interference control has been the identification of its underlying mechanisms. Investigations have focused on processes that filter out distracting perceptual information, leading to negative priming, and processes that discard intruding memories that cause proactive interference. Theories differ regarding whether or not a single process during episodic retrieval underlies both negative priming and the resolution of proactive interference. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we combined both phenomena into a single paradigm and found that occipital cortex shows activation uniquely related to negative priming, whereas activation increases in left lateral prefrontal cortex are uniquely associated with proactive interference. This pattern of results contradicts theories that rely on a single process to account for both phenomena. However, results also showed common recruitment of right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and parietal regions and therefore suggest that some control processes are shared. Successful cognition depends on performing goal-directed actions in the face of interference. Most tasks require selective attention to some inputs and filtering out of others. In addition, most tasks require holding certain relevant thoughts in mind while shielding these from potential intrusion by irrelevant thoughts. Goal-directed actions therefore require the selection of relevant information, the deselection of irrelevant information, or both. Understanding how people are able to perform such selection and deselection is central to understanding cognition