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    Area of Science:

    • Cognitive psychology
    • Perception science
    • Human factors research

    Background:

    • The looming bias, a perceptual error where individuals underestimate their distance to an approaching object, is known to be amplified in physically vulnerable populations.
    • Existing research suggests a link between physical vulnerability and an increased looming bias, highlighting a potential need for a larger margin-of-safety.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate whether mental vulnerability, induced by cognitive load, similarly enhances the looming bias.
    • To test the hypothesis that cognitive load affects the perception of approaching objects' distances.

    Main Methods:

    • Forty-six young adults participated in a study involving a looming task under varying cognitive load conditions.
    • Participants completed the looming task twice: once with high cognitive load (memorizing a seven-digit number) and once with low cognitive load (memorizing a two-digit number).
    • Perceptual judgments of distance to an approaching object were recorded under both load conditions.

    Main Results:

    • A significantly stronger looming bias was observed under high cognitive load compared to low cognitive load.
    • Participants under high cognitive load judged their distance to the approaching object as shorter than it was, indicating an amplified bias.
    • The results demonstrate a clear effect of mental state on the looming bias.

    Conclusions:

    • Mental vulnerability, akin to physical vulnerability, exacerbates the looming bias.
    • Cognitive load increases the tendency to underestimate distances to approaching objects, suggesting a need for greater caution when mentally taxed.
    • These findings support the broader hypothesis that vulnerability, whether physical or mental, necessitates a larger margin-of-safety in perceptual judgments.