Covert Attention, Temperament, and Looking: A Novel Approach to Studying Attention in the Social World

Abstract

The current study examines relations between individual differences in attention measured in laboratory and real-world settings. In-laboratory computer-based assessments of orienting, phasic alertness, and executive attention as well as self-report measures of temperament and attention-related problems were administered to 111 undergraduate participants. Participants later completed a walking tour of a multistory building while wearing video recording glasses. The recordings were subsequently coded for orientation and capture of overt attention. Overt attention was correlated with attention-related traits only in high-demand walking conditions (stairways). Our findings suggest that individual differences should be a more important consideration in attention research. The novel methodology piloted here may be especially practical for studying overt attention in social settings.