Text-speak processing and the sustained attention to response task.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Neuroscience

Background:

• The sustained attention to response task (SART) is widely used to measure sustained attention.
• Text-speak, a form of abbreviated language, is increasingly prevalent in digital communication.
• Understanding the cognitive demands of processing text-speak is crucial for evaluating its impact on attention and performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether the SART is a better measure of sustained attention or response strategy.
• To explore the cognitive demands associated with processing text-speak stimuli.
• To compare performance on text-speak and standard word stimuli in attention tasks.

Main Methods:

• Experiment 1: Participants (N=72) completed SART tasks using text-speak and standard words, alongside a text-speak experience questionnaire.
• Experiment 2: Participants (N=14) completed vigilance tasks with high No-Go and low-Go response formats for both text-speak and standard words.
• Performance metrics included error rates and response latency.

Main Results:

• In Experiment 1, higher text-speak proficiency correlated with more errors on the text-speak SART, attributed to increased response speed.
• Response latency increased over time for text-speak tasks but not for standard word tasks in Experiment 2.
• The SART's sensitivity to response strategy was supported, and target detection tasks showed potential for assessing text-speak processing demands.

Conclusions:

• The SART appears more influenced by response strategy than sustained attention.
• Processing text-speak imposes unique cognitive demands, affecting performance in attention-based tasks.
• Target detection paradigms offer a novel approach to quantifying the cognitive load of text-speak.