Abstract
It is now well known that the absence of attention can leave people unaware of both visual and auditory stimuli (e.g., Dalton & Fraenkel, 2012; Mack & Rock, 1998). However, the possibility of similar effects within the tactile domain has received much less research. Here, we introduce a new tactile inattention paradigm and use it to test whether tactile awareness depends on the level of perceptual load in a concurrent visual task. Participants performed a visual search task of either low or high perceptual load, as well as responding to the presence or absence of a brief vibration delivered simultaneously to either the left or the right hand (50% of trials). Detection sensitivity to the clearly noticeable tactile stimulus was reduced under high (vs. low) visual perceptual load. These findings provide the first robust demonstration of “inattentional numbness,” as well as demonstrating that this phenomenon can be induced by concurrent visual perceptual load.
Highlights
In a world rich with sensory information, we are unable to perceive everything around us
This is important in eliminating the possibility that any modulation of tactile awareness by visual perceptual load could relate to the tactile detection responses being delayed by different amounts under different load conditions
D= was lower under high load, F(1, 15) ϭ 34.81, p Ͻ .0001, p2 ϭ .699, indicating that increasing visual perceptual load reduced awareness of the critical tactile stimulus
Summary
Sixteen participants recruited at Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, took part in exchange for £8 ($11). Two were replaced because of detection accuracy Ͻ75% in the control condition For those included, the average age was 21 years (ranging from 18 to 36). Responses to the visual task and the tactile event were made using two foot pedals (Psychology Software Tools Inc). Tactile stimuli consisted of sound files delivered through two Starkey bone conduction hearing aids attached with surgical tape to the left and right palms. Participants sat with their hands stretched out in from of them on a foam board (with hollowed-out slots to ensure 10 cm separation) with the palms faced upward. The critical stimulus was presented on 50% of trials and appeared with equal likelihood on either the left or the right hand
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