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Related Experiment Videos

Reaching into cluttered visual environments: spatial and temporal influences of distracting objects

D V Meegan1, S P Tipper

  • 1McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. dan.meegan@crc.doc.ca

The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. A, Human Experimental Psychology
|June 11, 1998
PubMed
Summary

Distractor lights near the hand or on the same side as the responding hand significantly slow down visual target selection. These "proximity-to-hand" and "ipsilateral" effects impact both reaction and movement times.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Human Factors
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Visual search tasks involve reaching for targets amidst distractors.
  • Previous research suggested distractors in the response path cause more interference.
  • The role of distractor proximity to the hand and body side was less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of distractor location relative to the hand and body.
  • To differentiate between path-based and proximity-based interference.
  • To examine the temporal dynamics of distractor interference during reaching.

Main Methods:

  • Participants reached for visual targets presented with distractor lights.
  • Response times and movement times were recorded.

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  • Error rates, including touching distractors, were analyzed.

    • Main Results:

    • Distractors closer to the hand's starting position caused greater interference (proximity-to-hand effect).
    • Distractors on the same side of the body as the responding hand caused more interference (ipsilateral effect).
    • These effects influenced both reaction and movement times, indicating interference resolution before and after movement initiation.

    Conclusions:

    • Distractor interference in reaching tasks is significantly influenced by proximity to the hand and body side.
    • These findings challenge path-based explanations and highlight spatial coding.
    • Understanding these effects has implications for designing multi-object displays and reducing errors in real-world tasks.