Task-Irrelevant Information Reduces Attentional Uncertainty

The mechanisms of goal-driven attention are often characterized as serving the selection of task-relevant information. However, decades of research have now shown that selection is biased by many different sources of extra-target information. These sources are often characterized as being “task irrelevant.” In this review, we systematically describe different sources that carry uncertainty-reducing signals, and we argue that these “irrelevant” sources are not only relevant but also necessary for efficient processing of our environment. We provide evidence that “irrelevant” information carries target-predictive signals integral to rapid goal-directed attentional processing. We argue that the extra-target sources of information are a form of cognitive shortcuts that contribute to greater efficiency in information selection in the natural world.