Presentation
The Effect of Attentional Load on Time-To-Contact Estimates in Visual and Auditory Modalities
SessionWednesday Poster Session
DescriptionPrior studies showed that visual estimates of time-to-collision (TTC) are affected by attentional load and rely on visual imagery, whereas auditory TTC estimates rely on a timing mechanism that may be less affected by attentional load. The current study examined whether effects of attentional load on TTC estimates differ between auditory and visual modalities. Participants either viewed or heard a vehicle that approached them for 3 s before being occluded. Participants pressed a button when they thought the vehicle would reach them and then, on half of the trials, reported a 5-digit number that was presented aurally before the vehicle appeared. A linear mixed-effects model indicated that estimated TTC was higher in the visual condition compared to the auditory condition and that an effect of attentional load occurred only in the visual condition with estimated TTC higher in the load condition compared to no-load. The implication is that participants relied on visual imagery to estimate TTC in the visual condition, and that this resource also was used in the digit memory task, but was not used in the auditory condition. Future research will measure effects of attentional load when auditory and visual information are presented concurrently.
Event Type
Poster
TimeWednesday, October 21st5:30pm - 6:30pm PDT
Location