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Updated: Jul 9, 2026
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A Dual Task Procedure Combined with Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Test Attentional Blink for Nontargets
Published on: December 5, 2014
Impaired temporal discrimination within the attentional blink
Bettina Rolke1, Karin M Bausenhart, Rolf Ulrich
1Cognitive and Biological Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. bettina.rolke@uni-tuebingen.de
Perception & Psychophysics
|December 15, 2007
Summary
Attention absence impairs temporal discrimination, contrary to prior findings. This study explored attention
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Neuroscience
- Visual attention research
Background:
- Previous research suggested spatial attention benefits temporal discrimination when directed away from a stimulus.
- The current study questions if this effect is limited to transient spatial attention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if the negative influence of attention on temporal discrimination generalizes to other attention paradigms.
- To examine the role of attentional availability in temporal discrimination using the attentional blink paradigm.
Main Methods:
- The attentional blink (AB) paradigm was utilized.
- Participants performed either a spatial or temporal discrimination task during the AB.
Main Results:
- A performance decrement in temporal discrimination was observed when attention was temporally unavailable during the AB.
- Performance recovered as attentional availability increased.
- These findings contrast with previous reports by Yeshurun and Levy (2003).
Conclusions:
- The absence of attention, within the AB paradigm, decreased temporal discrimination performance.
- Attention may exert differential effects on temporal stimulus processing depending on its operational level.
