Inability to suppress salient distractors predicts low visual working memory capacity.

Abstract in brief

• Individuals with high visual working memory capacity can effectively suppress distracting objects, preventing them from capturing attention, while those with low capacity struggle to do so.
• The ability to filter relevant versus irrelevant information is linked to the timing of attentional control mechanisms, particularly in actively suppressing salient distractors.
• Low-capacity individuals' difficulty in timely suppression leads to greater distraction by irrelevant stimuli, which negatively impacts their overall visual working memory performance.]