Assignment 2: Attention Blink

There are many stimuli in your environment of which you are not aware. You use attention to filter out unimportant stimuli and focus on relevant stimuli. However, there are circumstances under which you cannot perceive stimuli, regardless of how hard you “pay attention.” One situation is when visual stimuli are presented in quick succession. If the interval between the two stimuli is short enough, you do not perceive the second stimulus. This lapse in attention is known as attention blink. In this assignment, you will experience the attention blink for yourself and will also read about practical implications of the phenomenon.

Access the Cog Lab interdenominational Blink. Follow the instructions to complete the demonstration.

Read the following article:

• Lively, E. J., Harris, I. M., & Harris, J. A. (2009). Attention changes during implicit learning: Signal validity protects a target stimulus from the attention blink. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 35(2), 408-408-422. dpi:10.1037/a0014525 (ProQuest Document ID: 614494049)

Using the experience from the Cog Lab demonstration and information from the article, write a paper that addresses the following:

• Explain how the attention blink relates to attention. Analyze how the variation in time influences the probability of seeing the second target letter. Explain the circumstances under which the attention blink can be eliminated.
• In the Cog Lab demonstration, letters were used as targets. The target used can influence the duration of one’s attention blink and whether the attention blink even occurs. Complete the following tasks:
  • Propose at least two other targets that could be used to induce the attention blink.
  • Predict the effect each of your suggested targets would have on the duration of one’s attention blink as compared to the Cog Lab activity you completed.
  • Explain the reasoning behind your predictions.
• Present and discuss at least three occupations in which workers’ performance could be adversely affected by attention blink. Identify and explain the types of problems or mistakes that might occur in such occupations due to the attention blink.
• Several years ago, some vehicle models came with a heads-up display (HUD). Instead of looking down at a panel on the dashboard, speed, distance traveled, fuel level, and time appeared to be displayed over the hood of the car. Discuss this design in terms of divided attention and attention blink. Do you think the design was a good idea?

Write a 4-page paper in Word format. Apply SPA standards to citation of sources. Use the following file naming convention: Last name First Initial_M2_A2.doc.

By Wednesday, June 22, 2016, deliver your assignment to the M2: Assignment 2 Dropbox.