What Is the Easterbrook Hypothesis?
The Easterbrook Hypothesis proposes that attentional resources become more restricted as the level of arousal increases. Under high arousal, peripheral stimuli receive less processing while attention narrows to the most salient features of the environment.
Polygraph Context
This hypothesis helps explain why highly aroused examinees may focus intensely on the most threatening relevant questions while paying less attention to comparison questions — potentially amplifying the differential responding that PDD techniques exploit.
References
See: Easterbrook (1959).