In the attentional blink paradigm:

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When considering the attentional blink paradigm, it's important to recall how processing demands on the first target (T1) influence perception and reporting of a second target (T2).
Option 1: 'Performance on the first target is worse if it is followed by a second target that must be processed' This statement shifts the focus to T1 performance and suggests a deleterious effect due to a subsequent target, but the attentional blink primarily concerns how T1 processing disrupts T2 perception, not how T2 affects T1. The claim is misaligned with the core phenomenon.
Option 2: 'Performance on the second target is worse if the first target is to be ignored' The attentional blink arises even when T1 is attended; the key is that T2 suffers when T1 requires processing, regardless of deliberate ignoring. Saying T1 is to be ignored changes the experimental context and does not capture the standard attentional blink pattern.
Option 3: 'Performance on the second target is worse if the first target must be processed' This matches the classic description: when T1 demands attentional processing, resources are temporarily allocated, leading to a reduced ability to perceive or report T2 if it appears within a short temporal window. This is the hallmark of the attentional blink, reflecting a bottleneck in rapid serial visual presentation where processing T1 occupies attentional capacity.
Option 4: 'Performance on the second target is better if the first target is masked by an immediately following letter to make it harder to see' Masking T1 to make it harder to see would still involve T1 processing and does not describe the standard attentional blink condition. Moreover, masking is not typically proposed to improve T2 performance; in fact, it would generally impair T1 processing and could have complex, not reliably beneficial, effects on T2.
In summary, the statement that aligns with the attentional blink mechanism is the one describing decreased T2 performance when T1 requires processing, since attentional resources are temporarily unavailable for T2 within the critical time window. The other options misstate the relationship between T1 processing, masking, or the directionality of effects on T2 versus T1.

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In the attentional blink paradigm:

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