ABSTRACT
Attentional control of action involves rejection of responses towards goalirrelevant distractors. In this chapter, I suggest that prevention of distractor responses is achieved either through reduced distractor perception or through active inhibition of responses to irrelevant distractors. I further argue that the level of perceptual load in a current task determines whether prevention of distractor responses is achieved by reducing distractor perception, or by active inhibition of responses to irrelevant distractors. Evidence for this claim is obtained in studies that show reduced distractor perception under high perceptual load, as well as in studies that suggest active response inhibition is involved in distractor rejection under low perceptual load.
