Inattentional deafness: A study of the consequences of auditory inattention
Lead Research Organisation:
Royal Holloway University of London
Department Name: Psychology
Abstract
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People |
ORCID iD |
| Polly Dalton (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Dalton P
(2012)
Gorillas we have missed: sustained inattentional deafness for dynamic events.
in Cognition
Dalton P
(2013)
Driving with navigational instructions: Investigating user behaviour and performance.
in Accident; analysis and prevention
Murphy S
(2013)
Perceptual load does not modulate auditory distractor processing.
in Cognition
| Description | The project's main contribution was to establish the new phenomenon of inattentional deafness. We showed, across several different set-ups, that the absence of attention could cause people to miss auditory stimuli that are clearly noticeable under normal listening conditions. Despite large amounts of research on the corresponding visual phenomenon of inattentional blindness, very little research had addressed the possibility of inattentional deafness. Nevertheless, the factors that determine our awareness of unexpected sounds are particularly important, as so much vital information is delivered auditorily. We also gathered a range of observations relating to the question of whether an influential theory of visual attention also holds in audition. In addition, this research delivered a methodological innovation through our use of binaural recording and presentation techniques to create three-dimensional auditory scenes. To our knowledge we are the first to have applied the techniques to create naturalistic auditory scenes for psychological research purposes. Finally, our work on the influence of task demands on susceptibility to inattentional deafness led to a more applied experiment relating to in-car navigation devices, which fed into an interdisciplinary project on the topic. |
| Exploitation Route | The findings have been used by people working in areas as diverse as education, aviation safety and driver behaviour and we hope that this wide range of interest will continue into the future. |
| Sectors | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Education,Transport |
| URL | http://www.pc.rhul.ac.uk/sites/attentionlab/ |
| Description | One of the main findings (that that absence of attention can leave people completely unaware of auditory stimuli that are otherwise clearly noticeable) received coverage from a range of major media outlets, including BBC television and radio in the UK and MSNBC in the US, indicating a high level of general public interest in the results. The findings have also been cited in literature concerning aviation safety, driver behaviour and educational practice, as well as contributing to the theoretical understanding of attentional control. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2010 |
| Sector | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Education,Transport |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal |