Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Battle for Attention: Who wins when you split focus?

Publication Date

Fall 2024

College

Sciences and Mathematics, College of

Department

Psychological Science, Department of

SURS Faculty Advisor

Michael Oliver

Presentation Type

Metadata Only

Abstract

In this digital age where many stimuli draw attention at every turn, investigations on multitasking have surfaced, with researchers studying the effectiveness of divided attention and its effect on memory. This study aims to identify if the presentation of various competing background visual and auditory stimuli leads to significant differences in memory compared to noncompeting stimuli. To measure recognition memory, we assessed the ability of participants to recognize information presented in a subtitled audible story with one of three backgrounds: a dynamic video from a videogame, a still image, and a black screen. Thirty-nine participants were randomly, equally distributed across the three groups. After participants watched their assigned video, they completed a multiple-choice questionnaire based on information that was stated in the story. We hypothesized that participants who watched the video with a black screen would have greater memory recognition than the group that saw the dynamic video, with the still image group falling between them on accuracy. Participants also self-reported where they perceived their attention was primarily focused when watching the video. We hypothesized that participants who reported a greater focus on story content would have better recognition abilities than those who reported a greater focus on background content. To analyze our results, we ran an ANOVA test and two correlation tests. The findings from this study will contribute toward the existing understanding of how much information is retained from short-form videos on social media platforms that depend on divided attention for engagement.

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