Individual Differences in the Dynamics of Attention Control

Individual differences in the dynamics of attention control were examined in two studies. Participants performed mouse tracker versions of Stroop (Studies 1 and 2) and flankers (Study 2), along with additional measures of attention control and working memory to better examine individual differences in how conflict resolution processes unfold over time. Attention control abilities were related to the amount of attraction to the incorrect response and the time to move toward the correct response on incongruent trials in the Stroop task. In the flanker task, attention control abilities were not related to the amount of attraction to the incorrect response but were related to the time to move toward the correct response on incongruent trials. Mouse tracker measures in both Stroop and flankers demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties and tended to load moderately on an attention control factor along with other attention control tasks. These results are consistent with the notion that conflict resolution processes in Stroop and flankers likely reflect both overlapping and distinct (i.e., restraining and constraining attention) processes that are related to broader attention control abilities.