Cognitive load exacerbates rightward biases during computer maze navigation

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dc.contributor.authorBartlett, M.L.
dc.contributor.authorScott Gwinn, O.
dc.contributor.authorThomas, N.A.
dc.contributor.authorNicholls, M.E.R.
dc.date.issued2020
dc.descriptionAvailable online 14 February 2020
dc.description.abstractNeurologically healthy individuals exhibit subtle attentional asymmetries, such that attention is preferentially directed leftwards for objects in near space and rightwards for objects in far space. These attentional biases also affect navigation and cause people to deviate to the right when passing through an aperture. The current study examined whether the rightward deviations observed in real-world environments translate to simulated environments. As proof of concept and to determine whether rightward biases could be further exacerbated, the degree of cognitive load imposed on participants was manipulated. Experiment 1 asked participants to navigate through the centre of a computer-based doorway. In one block of trials, participants completed the task by itself (baseline condition), while in another block of trials they also completed a simple auditory discrimination task (load condition). While analyses revealed rightward biases for both conditions, the difference between conditions was not significant. Experiment 2 therefore increased the difficulty of the auditory task. Analyses revealed a significant difference between conditions, suggesting that the degree of cognitive load further exacerbates rightward biases, demonstrating that the rightward asymmetries in navigation observed in the real world generalises to a simulated environment and that this phenomenon behaves in a way that is consistent with pseudoneglect.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityMegan L. Bartlett, O. Scott Gwinn, Nicole A. Thomas, Michael E.R. Nicholls
dc.identifier.citationBrain and Cognition, 2020; 140:105547-1-105547-9
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.bandc.2020.105547
dc.identifier.issn0278-2626
dc.identifier.issn1090-2147
dc.identifier.orcidBartlett, M.L. [0000-0002-5371-7676]
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/2440/140224
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP160100757
dc.rights© 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2020.105547
dc.subjectAttention; Navigation; Bisection; Extrapersonal; Cognitive load
dc.subject.meshHumans
dc.subject.meshSpace Perception
dc.subject.meshPsychomotor Performance
dc.subject.meshAdult
dc.subject.meshFemale
dc.subject.meshMale
dc.subject.meshYoung Adult
dc.subject.meshSpatial Navigation
dc.subject.meshAttentional Bias
dc.titleCognitive load exacerbates rightward biases during computer maze navigation
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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