Research article summary (published 29 Nov 2001):

Modulation of the attentional blink by differential resource allocation.

Full Abstract

When one masked target (T2) follows another (T1) in close temporal proximity, identification accuracy of the second target is reduced for a period referred to as the attentional blink. Analysis of the attentional blink literature suggests that increasing the difficulty of T1 processing increases the magnitude of the blink. In a previous study that eliminated several untoward features of the typical attentional blink design (e.g., task switching, location switching, and stream contribution), we found no effect on blink magnitude when three levels of T1 difficulty (manipulated in a data-limited manner) were randomly intermixed. Here, when we repeated the previous study using a blocked manipulation of T1 difficulty, which is characteristic of the literature, a significant positive relation between T1 difficulty and blink magnitude was found. Resource allocation put in place to encode T1 in advance of a dual-target trial thus seems to be the critical factor in mediating this relation.

Author information

Author/s: Shore, D I (DI); Mclaughlin, E N (EN); Klein, R M (RM);

Affiliation: Rotman Research Institute. dshore(-atsign-)mcmaster.ca, ray.klein(-atsign-)dal.ca

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Canadian journal of experimental psychology = Revue canadienne de psychologie expérimentale (Can J Exp Psychol), published in Canada. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2001-Dec; vol 55 (issue 4) : pp 318-24

Dates: Created 2001/12/21; Completed 2002/01/25; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 11768857, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Attention Discrimination Learning Humans Orientation

Pattern Recognition, Visual Perceptual Masking Psychophysics Reaction Time

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