The effects of concurrent perceptual load and physical exertion on inattentional blindness in children

Inattentional blindness (IB) refers to the failure to notice fully visible but unexpected stimuli when attention is focused on a demanding task. Such failures can place children at risk of injury when they overlook unexpected hazards in real-world situations, underscoring the importance of understanding how IB manifests in children. Given that perceptual and physical demands are often intertwined in daily activities, the present study examined children's IB under concurrent perceptual load and physical exertion using a dual-task paradigm. Perceptual load was manipulated through a dynamic bounce-counting task that required monitoring either two or four moving letters (low vs. high perceptual load). Physical exertion was imposed via an isometric handgrip task at 20 % or 50 % of maximum voluntary contraction (MVC).A total of 206 children (86 females; aged 10-13 years) were randomly assigned to perform the counting task only (i.e., rest condition) or concurrentlywith the handgrip task. Results revealed a significant main effect of perceptual load, with higher perceptual load leading to increased IB rates. However, physical exertion did not produce a significant main effect on children's IB, nor did it interact with perceptual load. These findings highlight the primary role of perceptual load in shaping children's IB, with concurrent physical exertion showing little additional impact.