Alpha Inhibition

Maximizing use of limited resources, the exclusion of irrelevant information prevents distortion of relevant information that is being remembered

In other words, excluding irrelevant information can maximize the functional use of short-term memory’s limited capacity.

Research on short-term memory demonstrates that increased alpha activity during the retention period seems to suppress irrelevant stimuli in order to protect items in memory from interference (Klimesch et al., 1999; Jensen et al., 2002; Sauseng et al., 2005; Tuladhar et al., 2007; Payne & Kounios, 2009).

To visualize this regulation, imagine that a cue directs your attention to a particular location in your left visual hemifield, where a target stimulus is about to be presented

A robust cortical response follows a directional cue for attention: Alpha oscillations following the directional cue decrease in the hemisphere that would process the upcoming stimulus, but increase in the other hemisphere, the one not implicated in processing (Worden et al., 2000; Kelly et al., 2006; Thut et al., 2006

In summation, intentional ignoring can be enhanced if we learn to harness the mechanism of suppression that is embodied in cortical alpha oscillations. By improving our ability to inhibit irrelevant information, we can more effectively focus our attention.