distractor

n. a stimulus or an aspect of a stimulus that is irrelevant to the task or activity being performed. In memory studies, an item or task may be used as a distractor before the participant attempts to recall the study material to be remembered; the distractor minimizes the participant’s rehearsal of the material and ensures that it is not currently stored in working memory. For instance, the participant might be given some arithmetic problems to solve as a distractor task between the study and recall phases of an experiment. See also visual attention.

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Psychology term of the day

December 23rd 2024

semantic satiation

the effect in which a word seems to lose its meaning after it has been repeated many times in rapid succession. The reasons for this effect remain poorly understood.