Immersive screens change attention width but not perception or decision-making performance in natural and basic tasks

Abstract

In the last decades, a number of studies have examined people's perceptual and attentional capabilities using flat screen displays. The completion of studies using curved displays/screens has been neglected so far, despite their advantage of creating a more immersive and life-like experience. In two studies, we analysed possible performance differences between subjects' perceptual and attentional capabilities during a decision-making task whilst viewing life-size stimuli on large flat and curved immersive screens. In Study 1, participants performed an attention-demanding shape discrimination task. In Study 2, participants performed a more naturalistic football-specific discrimination task. Results of both studies revealed no differences in perception and decision making between screen conditions, but that attention can be directed across greater visual angles on immersive screens compared to flat screens. The findings suggest that attention can be directed across a larger visual angle on curved screens compared to flat screens probably because curved screens distort the image less than flat screens. This study has implications for the use of flat screens in studies that examine perceptual and attentional capabilities in the visual periphery.