Masking of a first target in the attentional blink attenuates the P 3 to the first target and delays the P 3 to the second target

The attentional blink ( AB ) refers to the decline in report accuracy of a second target ( T 2) when presented shortly after a first target ( T 1) in a rapid serial visual presentation ( RSVP ) of distractors. It is known that masking T 1 increases the magnitude of the AB , and masking a single target (equivalent to T 1) in a RSVP stream attenuates the P 3 to the target in correct trials. The major purpose of the present study was to clarify how these two effects may be integrated. An intervening distractor was presented at lag 1 ( T 1+1), at lag 2 ( T 1+2), or at neither of these two lags (no distractor). T 2 was always presented at lag 3, as the last item in the stream. The P 3 to T 1 was attenuated and the P 3 to T 2 delayed in the T 1+1 condition compared to the two other distractor conditions. These results clearly show that masking T1 attenuates the P 3 to T1 and delays the P 3 to T 2 in the AB . Implications for extant theories of the AB are discussed.