Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Attentional resources in timing: interference effects in concurrent temporal and nontemporal working memory tasks

S W Brown1

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Southern Maine, Portland 04104-9300, USA. swbrown@usm.maine.edu

Perception & Psychophysics
|November 14, 1997
PubMed
Summary

Concurrent tasks interfere with time perception, making durations seem shorter or more variable. Difficult secondary tasks significantly impair timing accuracy, suggesting specialized cognitive resources are involved.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Optical and mechanical design of a telescope for lunar spectral irradiance measurements from a high-altitude aircraft.

The Review of scientific instruments·2020
Same author

Improved Near-Infrared Spectral Responsivity Scale.

Journal of research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology·2016
Same author

Spectrally Tunable Sources for Advanced Radiometric Applications.

Journal of research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology·2016
Same author

A socio behavioural perspective for understanding and managing behaviour problems in children with epilepsy.

Behavioural neurology·2014
Same author

Stray light correction algorithm for multichannel hyperspectral spectrographs.

Applied optics·2012
Same author

Disharmony between centric relation and centric occlusion as a factor in producing improper tooth wear and trauma.

Dental digest·2010

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Human Factors

Background:

  • Temporal and nontemporal tasks often compete for cognitive resources.
  • Existing attentional allocation models predict bidirectional interference between concurrent tasks.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate interference effects between concurrent temporal and nontemporal tasks.
  • To evaluate the applicability of attentional allocation models and explore specialized processing resources.

Main Methods:

  • Three experiments involved participants performing timing tasks (2- or 5-sec productions) concurrently with nontemporal tasks (pursuit rotor, visual search, mental arithmetic) of varying difficulty.
  • Performance was assessed under both single- and dual-task conditions.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Concurrent nontemporal tasks interfered with timing, increasing production length and variability.
  • More difficult nontemporal tasks caused greater disruption to timing.
  • Nontemporal task performance varied: tracking and visual search were unaffected, while mental arithmetic was impaired by concurrent timing.

Conclusions:

  • Results necessitate modifications to attentional allocation models to include specialized processing resources.
  • The study critically evaluates multiple resource theory and working memory models regarding timing and dual-task performance.