Dystrakcja i obciążenie poznawcze a skuteczność tłumienia myśli
The role of distraction and cognitive load in thought suppression

Summary/Abstract: Despite general agreement that successful thought suppression depends on distraction and cognitive load, we do not know how exactly those factors affect mental control. This is due to terminological confusion, on the one hand, and some mutually incompatible experimental results, on the other. The present article is an attempt to specify the impact of distraction and cognitive control on the effectiveness of thought suppression. On the proposed account, distraction and cognitive load should be considered jointly because arguably every act of distraction produces some cognitive load. Two types of distraction are also distinguished: one engaging mainly the direct-access region postulated by Oberauer and the other involving cognitive control resources. Distraction of the former kind should improve thought suppression whereas distraction of the latter kind should inhibit it.

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