{"id":133293,"date":"2025-04-17T13:23:58","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T17:23:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/?post_type=bu-article&p=133293"},"modified":"2025-05-19T13:00:56","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T17:00:56","slug":"negative-distractions-disrupt-ongoing-task-performance","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/news-events\/articles\/2025\/negative-distractions-disrupt-ongoing-task-performance\/","title":{"rendered":"Negative Distractions Disrupt Ongoing Task Performance"},"content":{"rendered":"\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNegative Distractions Disrupt Ongoing Task Performance\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n
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April 17, 2025<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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The world is full of distractions, like intrusive memories, worries about the future and reminders of things to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sustained attention, the ability to maintain focus on a specific stimulus or task for an extended period without significant lapses in concentration, is a foundational cognitive process that underlies many other cognitive functions, impacts daily functioning and is commonly impaired across a diverse population. While upsetting thoughts and experiences can disrupt one\u2019s ability to focus attention while performing everyday tasks, translating this phenomenon to the laboratory has remained elusive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a new study<\/a>, researchers from Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and VA Boston Healthcare System have shown that when people are sustaining attention, distractions that are upsetting or unpleasant are most likely to disrupt that focus. The researchers hope these findings will assist in treating anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe found that negative distractions disrupted ongoing task performance as well as impacted  the participants\u2019 mood by making them feel worse,\u201d explained corresponding author Michael Esterman<\/a>, PhD, principal investigator in the VA\u2019s National Center for PTSD and BU associate professor of psychiatry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two groups of approximately 60 participants performed a series of tasks (called the gradCPT) requiring them to sustain their visual attention for about 10 minutes without a break, while photos of distractions would sometimes fade in and out in the background on a video monitor. These visual distractions could be upsetting (a crying baby), neutral (a chair), or positive (a smiling baby).<\/p>\n\n\n\n