Effect of a concurrent auditory task on visual search performance in a driving-related image-flicker task.

Full Abstract

The effect of a concurrent auditory task on visual search was investigated using an image-flicker technique. Participants were undergraduate university students with normal or corrected-to-normal vision who searched for changes in images of driving scenes that involved either driving-related (e.g., traffic light) or driving-unrelated (e.g., mailbox) scene elements. The results indicated that response times were significantly slower if the search was accompanied by a concurrent auditory task. In addition, slower overall responses to scenes involving driving-unrelated changes suggest that the underlying process affected by the concurrent auditory task is strategic in nature. These results were interpreted in terms of their implications for using a cellular telephone while driving. Actual or potential applications of this research include the development of safer in-vehicle communication devices.

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Author information

Author/s: Richard, Christian M (CM); Wright, Richard D (RD); Ee, Cheryl (C); Prime, Steven L (SL); Shimizu, Yujiro (Y); Vavrik, John (J);

Affiliation: Human Factors Transportation Center, Battelle Seattle Research Center, Washington 98105-3949, USA. richardc@battelle.org

Journal and publication information

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

Journal: Human factors (Hum Factors), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2002-; vol 44 (issue 1) : pp 108-19

Dates: Created 2002/07/16; Completed 2002/08/13; Revised 2006/11/15;

PMID: 12118865, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

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