Close to me: the effect of asymmetrical environments on spatial attention
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Date
2014-03-26
Authors
Nicholls, Michael Elmo Richard
Roden, Sally
Thomas, Nicole A
Loetscher, Tobias
Spence, Charles J
Forte, Jason D
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Rights
http://authorservices.taylorandfrancis.com/copyright-and-you/
Rights Holder
© Informa UK Limited, an Informa Group Company
Abstract
Attention can be captured by distractors and can affect performance. To examine whether asymmetrical distractors, such as a wall, affect spatial attention, Experiment 1 required participants (n = 20) to determine the relative length of pre-bisected lines when a temporary barrier was placed close to the left or right sides of the display. Post-hoc tests showed that attention was drawn towards left, but not right, walls. Experiment 2 (n = 18) sought to increase this effect using a solid brick wall rather than a temporary barrier. Instead of strengthening the result, no effect of barrier was observed. A non-effect was also observed in Experiment 3 (n = 18) when participants moved a cursor to the line's middle. Finally, Experiment 4 (n = 26) showed that asymmetrical barriers had no effect on visual search. While the data showed some evidence that attention is distracted by walls placed to the left, this effect is weak and task-specific.
Description
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(MF 8 Dec 2015)
Keywords
Psychology, Attention
Citation
Nicholls, M.E.R., Roden, S., Thomas, N.A., Loetscher, T., Spence, C.J. and Forte, J.D., 2014. Close to me: the effect of asymmetrical environments on spatial attention. Ergonomics. 57(6), 876-885.