Abstract
Many critical activities require visual attention to be distributed simultaneously among distinct tasks where the attended foci are not spatially separated. In our two experiments, participants performed a large number of trials where both a primary task (enumeration of spots) and a secondary task (reporting the presence/absence or identity of a distinctive shape) required the division of visual attention. The spots and the shape were commingled spatially and the shape appeared unpredictably on a relatively small fraction of the trials. The secondary task stimulus (the shape) was reported in inverse proportion to the attentional load imposed by the primary task (enumeration of spots). When the shape did appear, performance on the primary task (enumeration) suffered relative to when the shape was absent; both speed and accuracy were compromised. When the secondary task required identification in addition to detection, reaction times increased by about 200 percent. These results are broadly compatible with biased competition models of perceptual processing. An important area of application, where the commingled division of visual attention is required, is the augmented reality head-up display (AR-HUD). This innovation has the potential to make operating vehicles safer but our data suggest that there are significant concerns regarding driver distraction.
Highlights
Divided attention is the simultaneous allocation of attentional resources to two tasks
For example—as we discuss later—a driver concentrating on the road and other traffic while simultaneously attending to information presented on an augmented reality head-up display (AR-HUD) will likely experience reciprocal interference that could have a negative impact on safety [9]
In a biased competition account, attention would be allocated competitively and simultaneously, implying that the secondary task might hijack resources that could have been allocated to the primary task
Summary
Divided attention is the simultaneous allocation of attentional resources to two (or more) tasks. The division may occur within the same modality, with attention directed to different locations that are spatially separated [4,5,6] Such partitioning of attention almost always exacts a penalty; none of the tasks is performed as well as when each is done on its own. Behavioral and neuroimaging data [7,8] show that accuracy and latency suffer when two stimulus sets must be attended simultaneously. This dual-task interference is well known and can have serious consequence in real world situations. For example—as we discuss later—a driver concentrating on the road and other traffic while simultaneously attending to information presented on an augmented reality head-up display (AR-HUD) will likely experience reciprocal interference that could have a negative impact on safety [9]
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