Abstract:The key to selective attention that ignores irrelevant stimuli and focuses on relevant stimuli lies in the type and level of load involved in task processing. Load theory divides load into perceptual and cognitive load and finds that high perceptual load inhibits distractor distraction and high cognitive load enhances distraction. Subsequent studies have diverged from load theory in terms of the effect of cognitive load on distraction. On the basis of previous studies, this paper explored the causes of disagreement and summarized the factors influencing the distraction effect. Future research on cognitive load could actively explore joint research with other application areas to speed up the translation of theoretical findings to clinical applications.