The study reported here replicates and extends a study by Brown et al (1969) in which concurrent performance of a verbal reasoning task was shown to disrupt drivers' ability to judge whether or not the car they were driving would fit through gaps of different widths. In the present study, the test-track-based gap judgement task was again combined with the original verbal reasoning task, but also with a task requiring largely executive (PASAT) or visuo-spatial (imagery-based clock face comparison) processing. Results showed that ability to perform the verbal reasoning and PASAT task was reliably reduced when combined with gap judgement, but effects were largely absent when the secondary task imposed a high degree of visuo-spatial load. Although no effect of concurrent tasks was observed on gap judgement, the results observed are consistent with the original findings, since substantial evidence of performance trade-off was observed. For the covering abstract see ITRD E116025.
Abstract