Simple and Choice Reaction Time in a Secondary Task Under Varied Stimulus Modality Probabilities.
Abstract
Most investigations of attention and attention allocation have been limited to assessments of attention shifting among stimuli simultaneously presented within a single sensory modality. The construct of attention, however, is generally conceptualized as the process which determines the selection of sensory information from all potential sources, among all potential modalities. Although limited in relevance to more real-world, high demand task situations, many of the findings and interpretations from single modality attention studies provide an important theoretical basis for performance assessment in complex task environments requiring multimodal processing. The objective of the present research was to directly assess attention allocation in tasks requiring both visual and auditory information processing. In the present study, modality uncertainty was reduced by experimentally manipulating the probability of stimulus occurrence within a given modality. Furthermore, responding in the present experiment required choice as well as simple reaction, and the responses were made jointly with the continuous execution of a three-axis, compensatory tracking task. As expected, simple and choice reaction times to auditory signals were faster than were those to visual signals.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA159698
Entities
People
- D. K. Mcbride
- J. M. Owens
- L. S. Goodman
Organizations
- Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory