Conversation disrupts change detection in complex traffic scenes.
A set of studies examined the effects of cognitive distraction on visual scanning and change detection in natural traffic scenes. Experiment 1 found that a naturalistic hands-free phone conversation could disrupt change detection, thereby degrading the encoding of visual information and increasing the frequency of undetected changes. Data also revealed a tendency for conversation to impair knowledge-driven orienting of attention in older adults. Experiment 2 found that an attentive listening task produced no such effects. Actual or potential applications of this research include the design of displays and interventions to minimize the effects of cognitive distraction on human performance.
McCarley
Jason S
JS
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA.
Vais
Margaret J
MJ
Pringle
Heather
H
Kramer
Arthur F
AF
Irwin
David E
DE
Strayer
David L
DL
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000517:prevention & control; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001288:Attention; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005260:Female; D005403:Fixation, Ocular / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013689:Telephone; D014705:Verbal Behavior