The Impact of Postural Control on Visual Attention During a Visual Search Task
| dc.contributor.author | Wyatt, Caitlin | |
| dc.contributor.school | School of Psychology | |
| dc.date.issued | 2022 | |
| dc.description | This item is only available electronically. | en |
| dc.description.abstract | Within any given scene, visual stimuli are embedded amidst a complex assortment of various objects, features, and events. Visual attention is the mechanism which helps identify and discriminate between stimuli and guide actions to them to efficiently interact with our environment. It is well known that the visual system plays an important role in maintaining upright posture. However, the relationship between postural control and attentional mechanisms has never been directly addressed. Specifically, there is debate between whether adopting a standing posture adds a cognitive load and decreases attention or if it creates an alerting effect. To bridge this literature gap, this study examines the effect postural control has on visual attention by measuring the difference in eye and hand movements when sitting down compared to standing upright. A visual search task was used to quantify visual attention. Participants completed the visual search tasks in both sitting and standing postural conditions. The search task required participants to point to an odd-coloured target embedded in an array of distractors. On some trials, the colour of target was unpredictably switched between red and green. Results showed that posture significantly impacted performance, with standing producing increased performance on the visual task. Consistent with previous literature, it was also found that performance was improved when the target colour remained consistent, rather than when it was randomly switched. This study provides an understanding into how posture may impact attention and how the visual system is used when people interact with the external world. | en |
| dc.description.dissertation | Thesis (B.PsychSc(Hons)) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 2022 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/2440/141486 | |
| dc.provenance | This electronic version is made publicly available by the University of Adelaide in accordance with its open access policy for student theses. Copyright in this thesis remains with the author. This thesis may incorporate third party material which has been used by the author pursuant to Fair Dealing exceptions. If you are the author of this thesis and do not wish it to be made publicly available, or you are the owner of any included third party copyright material you wish to be removed from this electronic version, please complete the take down form located at: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/legals | |
| dc.subject | Honours; Psychology | en |
| dc.title | The Impact of Postural Control on Visual Attention During a Visual Search Task | en |
| dc.type | Thesis | en |
Files
Original bundle
1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
- Name:
- WyattC_2022_Hons.pdf
- Size:
- 2.02 MB
- Format:
- Adobe Portable Document Format
- Description: