Redundancy Gain For Categorical Targets Depends On Display Configuration And Duration

Redundancy gain is an improvement in speeded target detection when the number of targets associated with a single response is increased within a single display. The effect has been clearly demonstrated with specific targets, but it is not clear if it occurs in categorization tasks with non-identical targets. The current study tested the effect of target redundancy on speed and accuracy in a go/no-go categorization task. Targets were digits tilted 45° to the left, and were displayed in unilateral, bilateral, or central displays for either 1500 ms or 100 ms. Redundancy gain only occurred for brief targets displayed bilaterally in the upper visual field. The results indicate that redundancy gain is possible for categorization tasks with some bilateral configurations, supporting a role for interhemispheric processing in redundancy gain. Additionally, the results may indicate that processing strategies mask redundancy gain when participants can view targets for a long period of time

Improving Wayfinding For Older Users With Selective Attention Deficits

Older adults experience difficulties with navigating their environments and may need to rely on signs more heavily than younger adults. However, older adults also experience difficulties with focusing their visual attention, which suggests that signs need to be designed with the goal of making it as easy as possible to attend to them. This article discusses some design principles that may be especially important to compensate for declining attentional focus. These principles include distinctiveness, consistent appearance and location, standardized images, simplicity, isolation from other elements of the environment, and reassurance about the current route

You Can\u27T Catch \u27Em All: Inattention During Active Mobile Gaming

Using a mobile device while driving or walking leads to inattention. The popular augmented reality mobile game Pokémon GO (PGO) requires users to walk in order to play, creating a possible multitasking conflict as users interact with the game. This study required three groups to walk a predefined course while either playing PGO, texting with a confederate, or walking naturally. After the walk, participants were given a surprise memory test for what they saw while walking the course, also rating confidence in their responses. Accuracy was significantly lower only in the texting condition; however, both multitasking conditions had significantly lower confidence ratings for their responses as well as more safety infractions. Overall, while the PGO participants did not suffer the same attentional costs as the texting condition, their unsafe walking behavior and low confidence in their responses may still lead to dangerous situations

Population Size, Local Autonomy, and Support for the Political System

Does size of democracy shape citizens' support for the democratic regime? Previous literature demonstrates that a variety of political contexts are associated with the level of system support among citizens, yet none has tested the effect of a fundamental contextual feature of contemporary societies-size of democracy-on system support from a cross-national perspective. Copyright (c) 2007 by the Southwestern Social Science Association.