Dual-task performance as it relates to driving, such as tuning a radio ormanipulating a cellular phone, forces drivers to divide their attention between the traffic demands and the in-car task. The present study investigated how concurrent spatial or non-spatial cognitive distractions mediatedproximity judgments using vehicular stimuli. Utilizing a modified versionof the task employed by [Elias, L.J., Robinson, B. in press. Drive on theright side of the road: perceptual asymmetries for judgments of automobile proximity. International Journal of Neuroscience.] the current study examined how mental navigation (spatial distraction) affected accuracy and response time for depth judgments on vehicular stimuli in each visual field.These were compared to a control condition in which no distraction was present, as well as when a semantic (non-spatial) distraction was present. We found that conversation of a navigational nature (i.e., spatial distraction) most negatively impacted accuracy and response time when processing dynamically changing vehicle proximity. Further, these deleterious effects appeared to be uniform throughout the visual field. Findings are related to driving while being distracted, with particular emphasis on the role of cerebral lateralization in dual-task performance. (A) Reprinted with permission from Elsevier.
Abstract