Cross-modal unequal attention allocation

Allocation of attention to a complex scene is an essential part of everyday life, from recreation such as playing a team sport (attending to different players, the ball, and distracters in the crowd) to workplaces such as monitoring the cockpit of a modern aeroplane (listening to radio communications, monitoring dials, and tactile feedback). Psychologists have typically studies attention in the laboratory by studying attention in a single modality (typically vision). However, as the pilot example above demonstrates, attention often needs to be deployed across modalities, and with different priorities (for example the altitude warning alarm should receive more attention than the cabin temperature gauge). Therefore, this project will explore the allocation of attention across modalities.

We have recently shown (Crowe et al., 2019) that attention can be split in an unequal manner across different moving objects within a modality (vision). This project will further explore the nature of unequal attention allocation and will aim to examine how attention can be applied unequally across different modalities simultaneously. Psychophysical approaches, alongside eye tracking and behavioural (both in lab and online) will be used to test the limits of the attentional system to spit attention. Novel experiments will allow us to ask questions about the nature and architecture of the attention system which has traditionally only be studied within a modality. However, in the real-world people need to pay attention to multiple sources from different modalities (a doctor might need to listen to a heart rate monitor sound while also viewing the display of an EKG monitor)- how people manage this attention splitting is largely underexplored. By combining different stimulus modalities within a task, we can scale our basic science findings up to more realistic situations, while still maintaining tight control of the experimental setting. A further aspect of this project will look at he dynamic nature of the stimuli: whether they are static and unchanging, or moving and changing. This is important to understand how responsive the attention allocation process can be to online changes in the environment.

This is in collaboration with Macquarie University and Dr Anina Rich.

This project falls within the EPSRC Engineering research area. The project will provide results that can be translated into design choices for applications including augmented reality, wearable technology, and assistive technologies.

Crowe, E. M., Howard, C. J., Attwood, A. S., & Kent, C. (2019). Goal-directed unequal attention allocation during multiple object tracking. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 81, 1312-1326