The Multiple Object Avoidance (MOA) task measures attention for action: Evidence from driving and sport

Abstract

Performance in everyday tasks, such as driving and sport, requires allocation of attention to task-relevant information and the ability to inhibit task-irrelevant information. Yet there are individual differences in this attentional function ability. This research investigates a novel task for measuring attention for action, called the Multiple Object Avoidance task (MOA), in its relation to the everyday tasks of driving and sport. The aim in Study 1 was to explore the efficacy of the MOA task to predict simulated driving behaviour and hazard perception. Whilst also investigating its test–retest reliability and how it correlates to self-report driving measures. We found that superior performance in the MOA task predicted simulated driving performance in complex environments and was superior at predicting performance compared to the Useful Field of View task. We found a moderate test–retest reliability and a correlation between the attentional lapses subscale of the Driving Behaviour Questionnaire. Study 2 investigated the discriminative power of the MOA in sport by exploring performance differences in those that do and do not play sports. We also investigated if the MOA shared attentional elements with other measures of visual attention commonly attributed to sporting expertise: Multiple Object Tracking (MOT) and cognitive processing speed. We found that those that played sports exhibited superior MOA performance and found a positive relationship between MOA performance and Multiple Object Tracking performance and cognitive processing speed. Collectively, this research highlights the utility of the MOA when investigating visual attention in everyday contexts.

An exploration into the contributing cognitive skills of lifeguard visual search

“…Mackenzie and Harris (2017) suggest that throughout the MOA task eye‐movements are required to successfully avoid a collision, and is therefore more reflective of active, dynamic tasks where shifting subsets of tracked distractors must be monitored and an active, overt visual search is required. Mackenzie et al (2021) recently replicated the success of applying the MOA in the driving domain, and extended it to the sporting domain, finding that experienced sports players demonstrated superior MOA ability than non‐sports players. MOA may therefore be a better test to identify any underpinning skills of lifeguard superiority, as lifeguards are unlikely to use a central fixation location to track swimmers peripherally (which can be a successful strategy in MOT tests) and are required to prioritise swimmers for attention based on predictions about who might become a potential danger (i.e., require lifeguard intervention).…”

“…If the controlled object collides with one of the other balls, the task ends. If a participant avoids any collisions, more balls are added to the display over time (Mackenzie et al, 2021; Mackenzie & Harris, 2017).…”

Attending to Moving Objects

“…The aforementioned driving simulator study by Lochner and Trick (2014) found that drivers were more accurate at localizing which of multiple lead vehicles braked if it was a tracking target, but there was no advantage in terms of braking response time. Mackenzie et al (2021) used a multiple object avoidance (MOA) task where the user, in a task reminiscent of Asteroids (Section 1), controlled one of the balls with a mouse, trying to prevent it from colliding with the other balls. Strong correlations were found with years of driving experience and driving simulator performance.…”

Intense classification training to increase the detection of drowning swimmers

“…This proposed faster recognition of drowning behaviours was explored in a recent paper by Laxton et al (2022). This explored which cognitive skills potentially underlie drowning detection, comparing performance on a multiple object avoidance task (MOA; Mackenzie et al, 2021) and a functional field of view task (FFoV; Park & Reed, 2010) to performance on an occlusion‐based drowning detection task (developed by Laxton, Guest, et al, 2021). The MOA test required participants to track multiple moving balls on a screen and move their own ball out of the way of the other balls to avoid a collision.…”