Which concept is closely linked to a person's ability to ignore distracting stimuli?

The ability to ignore distracting stimuli is closely related to the concept of processing capacity. Processing capacity refers to the limited mental resources available for cognitive tasks; it highlights how individuals must allocate their attention and cognitive resources to relevant information while filtering out distractions. When a person has a greater processing capacity, they can more effectively focus on pertinent stimuli and diminish the impact of irrelevant distractions in their environment.

This concept is crucial in cognitive psychology as it explains how attentional resources are managed and why some individuals may struggle more than others with maintaining focus in the face of distractions. The effectiveness of ignoring distractions relies on how efficiently one can process information within their available cognitive capacity.

Other concepts like covert attention and change detection involve different mechanisms of attention but do not directly address the ability to filter distractions in the context of cognitive resource management. The just-in-time strategy, while related to decision making and planning, does not specifically pertain to attention and distraction management.