Stimulus Conflict

Stimulus conflict occurs when irrelevant sensory information has a negative impact on the brain sorting through what’s relevant before it can formulate a response. When two+ conflicting stimuli are presented, each triggering a different response — mental processing is slowed down or confused — like reading a sentence of mixed-up words. The brain tries to interpret meaning amid the visual disarray. Stimulus conflict includes task conflict (stimulus-driven behaviors are incompatible with goals), behavioral avoidance (avoiding the conflict), and top-down control processes (trying to limit the conflict’s negative impact on performance).