Doug Barrett - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Doug Barrett
Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics
Simultaneous search for one of two targets is slower and less accurate than search for a single t... more Simultaneous search for one of two targets is slower and less accurate than search for a single target. Within the Signal Detection Theoretic (SDT) framework, this can be attributed to the division of resources during the comparison of visual input against independently cued targets. The current study used one or two cues to elicit single- and dual-target searches for orientation targets among similar and dissimilar distractors. In Experiment 1, the accuracy of target discrimination in brief displays was compared at setsizes of 1, 2 and 4. Results revealed a reduction in accuracy that scaled with the product of set size and the number of cued targets. In Experiment 2, the accuracy and latency of observers’ saccadic targeting were compared. Fixations on single-target searches were highly selective towards the target. On dual-target searches, the requirement to detect one of two targets produced a significant reduction in target fixations and equivalent rates of fixations to distracto...
Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance, Jan 19, 2016
Visual search is faster and more accurate when a subset of distractors is presented before the di... more Visual search is faster and more accurate when a subset of distractors is presented before the display containing the target. This "preview benefit" has been attributed to separate inhibitory and facilitatory guidance mechanisms during search. In the preview task the temporal cues thought to elicit inhibition and facilitation provide complementary sources of information about the likely location of the target. In this study, we use a Bayesian observer model to compare sensitivity when the temporal cues eliciting inhibition and facilitation produce complementary, and competing, sources of information. Observers searched for T-shaped targets among L-shaped distractors in 2 standard and 2 preview conditions. In the standard conditions, all the objects in the display appeared at the same time. In the preview conditions, the initial subset of distractors either stayed on the screen or disappeared before the onset of the search display, which contained the target when present. I...
Memory & Cognition, 2016
We investigate how dimension-based attention influences visual short-term memory (VSTM). This is ... more We investigate how dimension-based attention influences visual short-term memory (VSTM). This is done through examining the effects of cueing a feature dimension in two perceptual comparison tasks (change detection; sameness detection). In both tasks a memory array and test array consisting of a number of colored shapes were presented successively, interleaved by a blank inter-stimulus interval (ISI). In Experiment 1 (change detection) the critical event was a feature change in one item across the memory and test arrays. In Experiment 2 (sameness detection) the critical event was the absence of a feature change in one item across the two arrays. Auditory cues indicated the feature dimension (color or shape) of the critical event with a 80% validity; cues were presented either prior to the memory array, during the ISI, or simultaneously with the test array. In Experiment 1 cue validity influenced sensitivity only when the cue was given at the earliest position; in Experiment 2 cue validity influenced sensitivity at all three cue positions. The greater effectiveness of top-down guidance by cues in the sameness detection task is attributed to the more active nature of the comparison process required to detect sameness events (Hyun et al. 2009).
APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser c... more APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser configuration. - alerts user that their session is about to expire - display, print, save, export, and email selected records - get My ...
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 2015
A number of studies have shown that training on action video games improves various aspects of vi... more A number of studies have shown that training on action video games improves various aspects of visual cognition including selective attention and inhibitory control. Here, we demonstrate that action video game play can also reduce the Simon Effect, and, hence, may have the potential to improve response selection during the planning and execution of goal-directed action. Non-game-players were randomly assigned to one of four groups; two trained on a first-person shooter game (Call of Duty) on either Microsoft Xbox or Nintendo DS, one trained on a visual training game for Nintendo DS, and a control group who received no training. Response times were used to contrast performance before and after training on a behavioral assay designed to manipulate stimulus-response compatibility (the Simon Task). The results revealed significantly faster response times and a reduced cost of stimulusresponse incompatibility in the groups trained on the first-person-shooter game. No benefit of training was observed in the control group or the group trained on the visual training game. These findings are consistent with previous evidence that action game play elicits plastic changes in the neural circuits that serve attentional control, and suggest training may facilitate goal-directed action by improving players' ability to resolve conflict during response selection and execution. Keywords Video game training. Reaction times. Response selection. Simon Effect Research Highlights • Performance on the Simon Task was assessed before and after video game training • Training on a first-person-shooter game improved task performance • Findings may reflect enhanced conflict resolution during response selection and execution
Background / Purpose: A substantial body of evidence has revealed an inverse relationship between... more Background / Purpose: A substantial body of evidence has revealed an inverse relationship between the accuracy and precision of visual working memory (VWM) and the number and complexity of to-be-remembered (TBR) objects ( Alvarez & Cavanagh, 2004 ). Cueing studies have also revealed asymmetries in the allocation of VWM resource to attended and unattended objects ( Bays & Husain, 2008 ; Machizawa, Goh, & Driver, 2012 ). The aim of the present study is to investigate the interaction between object resolution and attentional resources by manipulating the availability of high and low spatial frequency information in displays that contain one, two or four TBR faces. Main conclusion: Recognition memory for unfamiliar faces is inversely related to the number of faces in the display, with changes in the allocation of attention during encoding mediating competitive interactions between cued and uncued faces in free-view and single-fixation displays. Importantly, discriminability in free-view...
PLoS ONE, 2014
Simultaneous search for two targets has been shown to be slower and less accurate than independen... more Simultaneous search for two targets has been shown to be slower and less accurate than independent searches for the same two targets. Recent research suggests this 'dual-target cost' may be attributable to a limit in the number of targettemplates than can guide search at any one time. The current study investigated this possibility by comparing behavioural responses during single-and dual-target searches for targets defined by their orientation. The results revealed an increase in reaction times for dual-compared to single-target searches that was largely independent of the number of items in the display. Response accuracy also decreased on dual-compared to single-target searches: dual-target accuracy was higher than predicted by a model restricting search guidance to a single target-template and lower than predicted by a model simulating two independent single-target searches. These results are consistent with a parallel model of dual-target search in which attentional control is exerted by more than one target-template at a time. The requirement to maintain two targettemplates simultaneously, however, appears to impose a reduction in the specificity of the memory representation that guides search for each target.
Journal of Vision, 2010
Purpose. In visual search tasks, single target searches are most efficient when the target can be... more Purpose. In visual search tasks, single target searches are most efficient when the target can be discriminated from other items in the display by differences within a single feature dimension. We investigate whether this efficiency is maintained when either of two targets ...
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2013
Families of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) report more negative fa... more Families of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) report more negative family relationships than families of children without ADHD. Questions remain as to the role of genetic factors underlying associations between family relationships and children's ADHD symptoms, and the role of children's ADHD symptoms as an evocative influence on the quality of relationships experienced within such families. Utilizing the attributes of two genetically sensitive research designs, the present study examined associations between biologically related and nonbiologically related maternal ADHD symptoms, parenting practices, child impulsivity/activation, and child ADHD symptoms. The combined attributes of the study designs permit assessment of associations while controlling for passive genotype-environment correlation and directly examining evocative genotype-environment correlation (rGE); two relatively under examined confounds of past research in this area. A cross-sectional adoption-at-conception design (Cardiff IVF Study; C-IVF) and a longitudinal adoption-at-birth design (Early Growth and Development Study; EGDS) were used. The C-IVF sample included 160 mothers and children (age 5-8 years). The EGDS sample included 320 linked sets of adopted children (age 6 years), adoptive-, and biologically related mothers. Questionnaires were used to assess maternal ADHD symptoms, parenting practices, child impulsivity/activation, and child ADHD symptoms. A cross-rater approach was used across measures of maternal behavior (mother reports) and child ADHD symptoms (father reports). Significant associations were revealed between rearing mother ADHD symptoms, hostile parenting behavior, and child ADHD symptoms in both samples. Because both samples consisted of genetically unrelated mothers and children, passive rGE was removed as a possible explanatory factor underlying these associations. Further, path analysis revealed evidence for evocative rGE processes in the longitudinal adoption-at-birth study (EGDS) from biologically related maternal ADHD symptoms to biologically unrelated maternal hostile parenting through early disrupted child behavior (impulsivity/activation), with maternal hostile parenting and disrupted child behavior associated with later child ADHD symptoms, controlling for concurrent adoptive mother ADHD symptoms. Results highlight the importance of genetically influenced child ADHD-related temperamental attributes on genetically unrelated maternal hostility that in turn links to later child ADHD symptoms. Implications for intervention programs focusing on early family processes and the precursors of child ADHD symptoms are discussed.
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 2011
To date, there has been relatively little research on Internet gambling. Furthermore, there have ... more To date, there has been relatively little research on Internet gambling. Furthermore, there have been few studies comparing the behaviour of Internet gamblers versus non-Internet gamblers. Using the game of roulette, this study experimentally examined (a) the differences in gambling behaviour between online and offline gamblers, and (b) the role social facilitation in gambling behaviour between online and offline gamblers. A total of 38 participants played online and offline roulette either alone or alongside another gambling participant, and the players' chip placement and amount bet was recorded. The study found that those who gambled in online roulette placed more chips per bet and made riskier bets than those who gambled on roulette offline. The study also found that those who gambled alongside another gambler placed more chips and made riskier bets than those who gambled alone. Those who gambled online and in the presence of others, placed the highest number of chips per bet and made the riskiest bets.
Developmental Psychology, 2014
Socially disruptive behavior during peer interactions in early childhood is detrimental to childr... more Socially disruptive behavior during peer interactions in early childhood is detrimental to children's social, emotional, and academic development. Few studies have investigated the developmental underpinnings of children's socially disruptive behavior using genetically sensitive research designs that allow examination of parent-on-child and child-on-parent (evocative genotype-environment correlation [rGE]) effects when examining family process and child outcome associations. Using an adoption-at-birth design, the present study controlled for passive genotype-environment correlation and directly examined evocative rGE while examining the associations between family processes and children's peer behavior. Specifically, the present study examined the evocative effect of genetic influences underlying toddler low social motivation on mother-child and father-child hostility and the subsequent influence of parent hostility on disruptive peer behavior during the preschool period. Participants were 316 linked triads of birth mothers, adoptive parents, and adopted children. Path analysis showed that birth mother low behavioral motivation predicted toddler low social motivation, which predicted both adoptive mother-child and father-child hostility, suggesting the presence of an evocative genotype-environment association. In addition, both mother-child and father-child hostility predicted children's later disruptive peer behavior. Results highlight the importance of considering genetically influenced child attributes on parental hostility that in turn links to later child social behavior. Implications for intervention programs focusing on early family processes and the precursors of disrupted child social development are discussed.
Applied Cognitive Psychology, 2007
SUMMARY The cost of searching for two visual targets simultaneously was compared against two sepa... more SUMMARY The cost of searching for two visual targets simultaneously was compared against two separate single-target searches using exposure time and accuracy measures within a staircase procedure. Dual-target search for all stimuli (colour, shape and orientation) exhibited a ...
Empirical research examining the situational characteristics of gambling and their effect on gamb... more Empirical research examining the situational characteristics of gambling and their effect on gambling behaviour is limited but growing. This experimental pilot investigation reports the first ever empirical study into the combined effects of both music and light on gambling behaviour. While playing an online version of roulette, 56 participants took part in one of four experimental conditions (14 participants in each condition); (1) gambling with fast tempo music under normal (white) light, (2) gambling with fast tempo music under red light, (3) gambling with slow tempo music under normal (white) light, and (4) gambling with slow tempo music under red light. Risk (dollars spent) per spin and speed of bets were measured as indicators of gambling behaviour. Significant main effects were found for speed of bets in relation to musical tempo, but not light. No significant effects were found for risk per spin for either of the two independent variables. A significant interaction between light and music for speed of bets was shown. Planned comparisons revealed that fast tempo music under red light resulted in faster gambling. These findings are discussed along with the methodological limitations, and potential implications for various stakeholders including the gambling industry and practitioners.
Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics
Simultaneous search for one of two targets is slower and less accurate than search for a single t... more Simultaneous search for one of two targets is slower and less accurate than search for a single target. Within the Signal Detection Theoretic (SDT) framework, this can be attributed to the division of resources during the comparison of visual input against independently cued targets. The current study used one or two cues to elicit single- and dual-target searches for orientation targets among similar and dissimilar distractors. In Experiment 1, the accuracy of target discrimination in brief displays was compared at setsizes of 1, 2 and 4. Results revealed a reduction in accuracy that scaled with the product of set size and the number of cued targets. In Experiment 2, the accuracy and latency of observers’ saccadic targeting were compared. Fixations on single-target searches were highly selective towards the target. On dual-target searches, the requirement to detect one of two targets produced a significant reduction in target fixations and equivalent rates of fixations to distracto...
Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance, Jan 19, 2016
Visual search is faster and more accurate when a subset of distractors is presented before the di... more Visual search is faster and more accurate when a subset of distractors is presented before the display containing the target. This "preview benefit" has been attributed to separate inhibitory and facilitatory guidance mechanisms during search. In the preview task the temporal cues thought to elicit inhibition and facilitation provide complementary sources of information about the likely location of the target. In this study, we use a Bayesian observer model to compare sensitivity when the temporal cues eliciting inhibition and facilitation produce complementary, and competing, sources of information. Observers searched for T-shaped targets among L-shaped distractors in 2 standard and 2 preview conditions. In the standard conditions, all the objects in the display appeared at the same time. In the preview conditions, the initial subset of distractors either stayed on the screen or disappeared before the onset of the search display, which contained the target when present. I...
Memory & Cognition, 2016
We investigate how dimension-based attention influences visual short-term memory (VSTM). This is ... more We investigate how dimension-based attention influences visual short-term memory (VSTM). This is done through examining the effects of cueing a feature dimension in two perceptual comparison tasks (change detection; sameness detection). In both tasks a memory array and test array consisting of a number of colored shapes were presented successively, interleaved by a blank inter-stimulus interval (ISI). In Experiment 1 (change detection) the critical event was a feature change in one item across the memory and test arrays. In Experiment 2 (sameness detection) the critical event was the absence of a feature change in one item across the two arrays. Auditory cues indicated the feature dimension (color or shape) of the critical event with a 80% validity; cues were presented either prior to the memory array, during the ISI, or simultaneously with the test array. In Experiment 1 cue validity influenced sensitivity only when the cue was given at the earliest position; in Experiment 2 cue validity influenced sensitivity at all three cue positions. The greater effectiveness of top-down guidance by cues in the sameness detection task is attributed to the more active nature of the comparison process required to detect sameness events (Hyun et al. 2009).
APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser c... more APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser configuration. - alerts user that their session is about to expire - display, print, save, export, and email selected records - get My ...
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 2015
A number of studies have shown that training on action video games improves various aspects of vi... more A number of studies have shown that training on action video games improves various aspects of visual cognition including selective attention and inhibitory control. Here, we demonstrate that action video game play can also reduce the Simon Effect, and, hence, may have the potential to improve response selection during the planning and execution of goal-directed action. Non-game-players were randomly assigned to one of four groups; two trained on a first-person shooter game (Call of Duty) on either Microsoft Xbox or Nintendo DS, one trained on a visual training game for Nintendo DS, and a control group who received no training. Response times were used to contrast performance before and after training on a behavioral assay designed to manipulate stimulus-response compatibility (the Simon Task). The results revealed significantly faster response times and a reduced cost of stimulusresponse incompatibility in the groups trained on the first-person-shooter game. No benefit of training was observed in the control group or the group trained on the visual training game. These findings are consistent with previous evidence that action game play elicits plastic changes in the neural circuits that serve attentional control, and suggest training may facilitate goal-directed action by improving players' ability to resolve conflict during response selection and execution. Keywords Video game training. Reaction times. Response selection. Simon Effect Research Highlights • Performance on the Simon Task was assessed before and after video game training • Training on a first-person-shooter game improved task performance • Findings may reflect enhanced conflict resolution during response selection and execution
Background / Purpose: A substantial body of evidence has revealed an inverse relationship between... more Background / Purpose: A substantial body of evidence has revealed an inverse relationship between the accuracy and precision of visual working memory (VWM) and the number and complexity of to-be-remembered (TBR) objects ( Alvarez & Cavanagh, 2004 ). Cueing studies have also revealed asymmetries in the allocation of VWM resource to attended and unattended objects ( Bays & Husain, 2008 ; Machizawa, Goh, & Driver, 2012 ). The aim of the present study is to investigate the interaction between object resolution and attentional resources by manipulating the availability of high and low spatial frequency information in displays that contain one, two or four TBR faces. Main conclusion: Recognition memory for unfamiliar faces is inversely related to the number of faces in the display, with changes in the allocation of attention during encoding mediating competitive interactions between cued and uncued faces in free-view and single-fixation displays. Importantly, discriminability in free-view...
PLoS ONE, 2014
Simultaneous search for two targets has been shown to be slower and less accurate than independen... more Simultaneous search for two targets has been shown to be slower and less accurate than independent searches for the same two targets. Recent research suggests this 'dual-target cost' may be attributable to a limit in the number of targettemplates than can guide search at any one time. The current study investigated this possibility by comparing behavioural responses during single-and dual-target searches for targets defined by their orientation. The results revealed an increase in reaction times for dual-compared to single-target searches that was largely independent of the number of items in the display. Response accuracy also decreased on dual-compared to single-target searches: dual-target accuracy was higher than predicted by a model restricting search guidance to a single target-template and lower than predicted by a model simulating two independent single-target searches. These results are consistent with a parallel model of dual-target search in which attentional control is exerted by more than one target-template at a time. The requirement to maintain two targettemplates simultaneously, however, appears to impose a reduction in the specificity of the memory representation that guides search for each target.
Journal of Vision, 2010
Purpose. In visual search tasks, single target searches are most efficient when the target can be... more Purpose. In visual search tasks, single target searches are most efficient when the target can be discriminated from other items in the display by differences within a single feature dimension. We investigate whether this efficiency is maintained when either of two targets ...
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2013
Families of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) report more negative fa... more Families of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) report more negative family relationships than families of children without ADHD. Questions remain as to the role of genetic factors underlying associations between family relationships and children's ADHD symptoms, and the role of children's ADHD symptoms as an evocative influence on the quality of relationships experienced within such families. Utilizing the attributes of two genetically sensitive research designs, the present study examined associations between biologically related and nonbiologically related maternal ADHD symptoms, parenting practices, child impulsivity/activation, and child ADHD symptoms. The combined attributes of the study designs permit assessment of associations while controlling for passive genotype-environment correlation and directly examining evocative genotype-environment correlation (rGE); two relatively under examined confounds of past research in this area. A cross-sectional adoption-at-conception design (Cardiff IVF Study; C-IVF) and a longitudinal adoption-at-birth design (Early Growth and Development Study; EGDS) were used. The C-IVF sample included 160 mothers and children (age 5-8 years). The EGDS sample included 320 linked sets of adopted children (age 6 years), adoptive-, and biologically related mothers. Questionnaires were used to assess maternal ADHD symptoms, parenting practices, child impulsivity/activation, and child ADHD symptoms. A cross-rater approach was used across measures of maternal behavior (mother reports) and child ADHD symptoms (father reports). Significant associations were revealed between rearing mother ADHD symptoms, hostile parenting behavior, and child ADHD symptoms in both samples. Because both samples consisted of genetically unrelated mothers and children, passive rGE was removed as a possible explanatory factor underlying these associations. Further, path analysis revealed evidence for evocative rGE processes in the longitudinal adoption-at-birth study (EGDS) from biologically related maternal ADHD symptoms to biologically unrelated maternal hostile parenting through early disrupted child behavior (impulsivity/activation), with maternal hostile parenting and disrupted child behavior associated with later child ADHD symptoms, controlling for concurrent adoptive mother ADHD symptoms. Results highlight the importance of genetically influenced child ADHD-related temperamental attributes on genetically unrelated maternal hostility that in turn links to later child ADHD symptoms. Implications for intervention programs focusing on early family processes and the precursors of child ADHD symptoms are discussed.
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 2011
To date, there has been relatively little research on Internet gambling. Furthermore, there have ... more To date, there has been relatively little research on Internet gambling. Furthermore, there have been few studies comparing the behaviour of Internet gamblers versus non-Internet gamblers. Using the game of roulette, this study experimentally examined (a) the differences in gambling behaviour between online and offline gamblers, and (b) the role social facilitation in gambling behaviour between online and offline gamblers. A total of 38 participants played online and offline roulette either alone or alongside another gambling participant, and the players' chip placement and amount bet was recorded. The study found that those who gambled in online roulette placed more chips per bet and made riskier bets than those who gambled on roulette offline. The study also found that those who gambled alongside another gambler placed more chips and made riskier bets than those who gambled alone. Those who gambled online and in the presence of others, placed the highest number of chips per bet and made the riskiest bets.
Developmental Psychology, 2014
Socially disruptive behavior during peer interactions in early childhood is detrimental to childr... more Socially disruptive behavior during peer interactions in early childhood is detrimental to children's social, emotional, and academic development. Few studies have investigated the developmental underpinnings of children's socially disruptive behavior using genetically sensitive research designs that allow examination of parent-on-child and child-on-parent (evocative genotype-environment correlation [rGE]) effects when examining family process and child outcome associations. Using an adoption-at-birth design, the present study controlled for passive genotype-environment correlation and directly examined evocative rGE while examining the associations between family processes and children's peer behavior. Specifically, the present study examined the evocative effect of genetic influences underlying toddler low social motivation on mother-child and father-child hostility and the subsequent influence of parent hostility on disruptive peer behavior during the preschool period. Participants were 316 linked triads of birth mothers, adoptive parents, and adopted children. Path analysis showed that birth mother low behavioral motivation predicted toddler low social motivation, which predicted both adoptive mother-child and father-child hostility, suggesting the presence of an evocative genotype-environment association. In addition, both mother-child and father-child hostility predicted children's later disruptive peer behavior. Results highlight the importance of considering genetically influenced child attributes on parental hostility that in turn links to later child social behavior. Implications for intervention programs focusing on early family processes and the precursors of disrupted child social development are discussed.
Applied Cognitive Psychology, 2007
SUMMARY The cost of searching for two visual targets simultaneously was compared against two sepa... more SUMMARY The cost of searching for two visual targets simultaneously was compared against two separate single-target searches using exposure time and accuracy measures within a staircase procedure. Dual-target search for all stimuli (colour, shape and orientation) exhibited a ...
Empirical research examining the situational characteristics of gambling and their effect on gamb... more Empirical research examining the situational characteristics of gambling and their effect on gambling behaviour is limited but growing. This experimental pilot investigation reports the first ever empirical study into the combined effects of both music and light on gambling behaviour. While playing an online version of roulette, 56 participants took part in one of four experimental conditions (14 participants in each condition); (1) gambling with fast tempo music under normal (white) light, (2) gambling with fast tempo music under red light, (3) gambling with slow tempo music under normal (white) light, and (4) gambling with slow tempo music under red light. Risk (dollars spent) per spin and speed of bets were measured as indicators of gambling behaviour. Significant main effects were found for speed of bets in relation to musical tempo, but not light. No significant effects were found for risk per spin for either of the two independent variables. A significant interaction between light and music for speed of bets was shown. Planned comparisons revealed that fast tempo music under red light resulted in faster gambling. These findings are discussed along with the methodological limitations, and potential implications for various stakeholders including the gambling industry and practitioners.