Abstract In the field of psychological science, behavioral performance in computer-based cognitive tasks often exhibits poor reliability. The absence of reliable measures of cognitive processes contributes to non-reproducibility in the field and impedes the investigation of individual differences. Specifically in visual search paradigms, response time-based measures have shown poor test–retest reliability and internal consistency across attention capture and distractor suppression, but one study has demonstrated the potential for oculomotor measures to exhibit superior reliability. Therefore, in this study, we investigated three datasets to compare the reliability of learning-dependent distractor suppression measured via distractor fixations (oculomotor capture) and latency to fixate the target (fixation times). Our findings reveal superior split-half reliability of oculomotor capture compared to that of fixation times regardless of the critical distractor comparison, with the reliability of oculomotor capture in most cases falling within the range that is acceptable for the investigation of individual differences. We additionally find that older adults have superior oculomotor reliability compared with young adults, potentially addressing a significant limitation in the aging literature of high variability in response time measures due to slower responses. Our findings highlight the utility of measuring eye movements in the pursuit of reliable indicators of distractor processing and the need to further test and develop additional measures in other sensory domains to maximize statistical power, reliability, and reproducibility.

Andy J. Kim

Laurent Grégoire

Brian A. Anderson

Behavior Research Methods

行为研究方法发表与实验心理学研究的方法、技术和仪器有关的文章。该杂志特别关注计算机技术在心理学研究中的应用。年度特刊专门针对这一领域。

The journal "Behavior Research Methods" focuses on publishing articles related to methods, techniques, and instruments in experimental psychology research. It particularly emphasizes the application of computer technology in psychological research and publishes annual special issues dedicated to this field.

《Behavior Research Methods》期刊专注于发表与实验心理学研究相关的方法、技术和仪器的文章。该杂志特别关注计算机技术在心理学研究中的应用，并每年出版专门针对这一领域的特刊。

Category	Quartile
心理学	2
心理学, 心理学数学	1
心理学, 心理学实验	2

Reliably measuring learning-dependent distractor suppression with eye tracking

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Journal Info

Category	Quartile
PSYCHOLOGY, MATHEMATICAL	1