Cognitive training aims to produce a durable transfer to untrained abilities (i.e., far transfer). However, designing effective programs is difficult, because far transfer mechanisms are not well understood. Greenwood and Parasuraman (Neuropsychol 30(6):742–755. https://doi.org/10.1037/neu0000235, 2016) proposed that the ability to ignore distractions is key in promoting far transfer. While the authors identified working-memory training based on the N-back task as an effective way to train distraction suppression, a recent meta-analysis concluded that this form of training rarely produces far transfer. Such inconsistency casts doubt onto the importance of distraction suppression in far transfer and calls for further examination of the role of this ability in cognitive training effectiveness. We propose here to conceptualize distraction suppression in the light of the load theory of attention, which distinguishes two mechanisms of distractor rejection depending on the level and type of information load involved: perceptual selection and cognitive control. From that standpoint, N-back training engages a single suppression mechanism, namely cognitive control, because it mainly involves low perceptual load. In the present study, we compared the efficacy of N-back training in producing far transfer to that of a new response-competition training paradigm that solicits both distraction suppression mechanisms. Response-competition training was the only one to produce far transfer effects relative to an active control training. These findings provided further support to Greenwood and Parasuraman’s hypothesis and suggest that both selection perception and cognitive control need to be engaged during training to increase the ability to suppress distraction, hence to promote far transfer.

认知训练旨在产生对未训练能力的持久迁移（即远迁移）。然而，设计有效的程序很困难，因为远传输机制还没有得到很好的理解。Greenwood 和 Parasuraman (Neuropsychol 30(6):742–755. https://doi.org/10.1037/neu0000235, 2016) 提出忽略干扰的能力是促进远距离转移的关键。虽然作者将基于 N-back 任务的工作记忆训练确定为训练干扰抑制的有效方法，但最近的一项荟萃​​分析得出结论，这种形式的训练很少产生远距离转移。这种不一致让人怀疑分心抑制在远距离转移中的重要性，并要求进一步检查这种能力在认知训练有效性中的作用。我们在此建议根据注意力负荷理论概念化干扰抑制，该理论根据所涉及的信息负荷的水平和类型区分了两种干扰物拒绝机制：知觉选择和认知控制。从这个角度来看，N-back 训练采用单一抑制机制，即认知控制，因为它主要涉及低知觉负荷。在本研究中，我们将 N-back 训练在产生远距离转移方面的效果与一种新的反应-竞争训练范式进行了比较，该范式要求两种干扰抑制机制。相对于主动控制训练，反应-竞争训练是唯一产生远迁移效应的训练。