DISTRACTION

Pennsylvania State Univ Hershey Med Ctr, Hershey PA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Visual distraction may have an adverse effect on critical visuomotor activities. The Candidate and her collaborators demonstrated that normal subjects may preferentially attend leftward in far extrapersonal space. This finding is not only of theoretical interest, but has pragmatic implications. Asymmetric attention in far extrapersonal space may induce impaired drivers to veer leftward, into oncoming traffic. Aging and dementia, both associated with driving disability, may increase attentional imbalance. The current series of experiments calls upon subjects to perform line bisections in near and far extrapersonal space under different experimental conditions. 24 subjects will take part in each of five experiments. Neuropsychological characteristics of asymmetric orienting of attention are examined in Experiments 1-4. The Candidate will manipulate sensory-attentional and motor-intentional factors in order to assess the contributions of perceptual and motor bias to asymmetric attention in far space (Experiments 1-3). Experiment 4 assesses the influence of internal representations on left far orienting. The distractibility of aged subjects and subjects with dementia on far line bisections will be compared with that of young controls in Experiment 5. The Candidate has pursued considerable training in research and clinical behavioral neurology, and has an abiding interest in processes of visual perception and attention. The Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award (KO8) will provide time and resources she needs in order to become a completely independent academic clinician-scientist. It is hoped that the studies outlined here will clarify the neuropsychological mechanisms of distraction, orienting, and motor performance in far space. This would contribute to the literature on brain attentional systems, and could also form a basis for further studies of visual distraction in neurologically impaired persons.