The Distracted Mind

 

Portable media devices, such as laptops, tablets and smartphones, have become increasingly pervasive parts of our lives.  Whilst these devices can supplement many of our mental functions, that may have negative impacts on our ability to pay attention and thinking ability more generally. As our interactions with smartphones become more omnipresent, it is important to understand their affects, so that we can take necessary steps to mitigate the potential negative consequences. We are using eye tracking to investigate how these devices distract our attention and explore how implicit environmental cues and internal factors modulate this attentional distraction.