Cognitive Load and Dual-Task Performance in Dart-Throwing

Abstract

Only a few research studies using reaction time measures have clearly shown that an external focus of attention requires fewer attentional resources than an internal focus of attention (FOA). The present experiments used dual-task techniques with accuracy-based measures to determine the relation between the direction of the FOA (external/internal) and cognitive load by having participants perform a tone estimation task and dart throwing in isolation and concurrently. In Experiment 1 with a between-subjects design there was a tendency for spatial errors in dart throwing to be reduced in the dual task condition when focus was dir2ected externally, as opposed to internally. In Experiment 2 with a within-subject design both the internal and external focus conditions showed reduced errors in the dual-task conditions compared to the single-task conditions. The correlations between the actual and estimated tones were strong and positive in both experiments (at least .90). These results suggest that accuracy in d...