In the phenomenon known as the attentional blink (AB), perception of the second of two rapidly sequential targets (T2) is impaired when presented shortly after the first (T1). Studies in which T2 consisted of a pop-out search array provided evidence suggesting that visual search is postponed during the AB. In the present work, we used behavioral and electrophysiological measures to test this po...

Temporal fluctuations of attention can influence performance of cognitive tasks substantially. A common paradigm to investigate temporal fluctuations of attention is the attentional blink paradigm. Kranczioch and Thorne (2013) report new evidence for the impact of auditory stimuli on the visual attentional blink in the current issue of Advances in Cognitive Psychology.

We investigated whether a failure of distractor inhibition contributes to the magnitude of the attentional blink (AB). Subjects viewed dual-target rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) streams, where the distractors that directly preceded and succeeded Target 2 (T2-1, T2+ 1) were either identical to each other or different. Previously, Dux, Coltheart, and Harris (2006) found enhanced target r...

OBJECTIVE Given the growing concern that children in today's industrialized and technologically advanced society are becoming more sedentary and less fit, a greater understanding of the extent to which aerobic fitness relates to brain health and cognition during development is of increasing importance. Accordingly, this study sought to use neuroelectric and behavioral measures during an attenti...

The double-Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) problem, in which excessive precipitation is produced in the Southern Hemisphere tropics, which resembles a Southern Hemisphere counterpart to the strong Northern Hemisphere ITCZ, is perhaps the most significant and most persistent bias of global climate models. In this study, we look to the extratropics for possible causes of the double-ITCZ pro...

Reaction times (RTs) of nine normal subjects and 11 amputees with prosthetic limbs were examined in standing posture and during stepping movement. There were significant differences of RTs between standing and stepping, and between the phases of the stepping cycle in both the normal subjects and the BK or AK amputees with prosthetic limbs. The attentional demand during stepping movement and the...

OBJECTIVE This study tested whether the ease of learning to use human-machine interfaces of in-vehicle information systems (IVIS) can be assessed at standstill. BACKGROUND Assessing the attentional demand of IVIS should include an evaluation of ease of learning, because the use of IVIS at low skill levels may create safety-relevant distractions. METHOD Skill acquisition in operating IVIS wa...

Introducing automation into automobiles had inevitable consequences for the driver and driving. Systems that automate longitudinal and lateral vehicle control may reduce the workload of the driver. This raises questions of what the driver is able to do with this ‘spare’ attentional capacity. Research in our laboratory suggests that there is unlikely to be any spare capacity because the attentio...