Dwelltime - Individual's Attentional Patterns Through the Change Blindness Phenomenon
Ethan Scott, Dare Baldwin
University of Oregon, Department of Psychology 
Introduction
People witnessing identical streams of information can experience that information Study  One Conclusions
very differently. This incongruence of experience was famously observed in the 
following psychological experiment: one group of research participants watching a  Study one tested three selected videos for the change blindness effect. Following previous research in the video of a crowded area failed to notice a man in a gorilla suit meander across the field, change blindness was tested through various groups of participants given different instructions. Conclusions surrounding the findings of this study 
room, although another group described the man in the gorilla suit as the most Participants were divided into easy medium and hard conditions each tasked with following different cannot be made as the study has not been completed 
salient aspect of the video. phenomena in the video. Accuracy in tracking and identification of the change blindness phenomena was 
How do we account for such diversity in experience? My research investigates this in its entirety. Speculative findings assuming that our collected and analyzed. (Below are images from the different videos used in this study.)  
general question via a new technique: the dwell-time paradigm, in which viewers hypothesis is correct can be identified. If the 
advance at their own pace through slideshows depicting dynamic events while the Findings -  hypothesis is confirmed as a correct conclusion, these 
time they spend looking (dwelling) at each image is measured.  1.Statistically significant findings which indicate that the easy (just watch) condition produces more 
accuracy in change blindness occurrences than the hard (track two events) condition (shown in figure 3).  findings will hold considerable real-world significance. 
2.Two slideshows have clear change blindness effects occurring (shown in figure 1, 2, and 3). Specifically, it will be possible to utilize dwell-time 
3.Change blindness does occur in a slideshow format (shown in figure 1). patterns across a range of situations where monitoring 
the focus and adequacy of people’s attention is 
crucial. For example, applications could include a) 
Images depict recordings from the experiment mentioned above.  refinements to diagnosis in those with attentional 
Research Question impairments, such as attention-deficit hyperactivity 
disorder, dementia, and severe brain injury, and b) the 
We hypothesize that patterns of dwelling across time will clarify which aspects creation of systems that alert people when their 
of events viewers are prioritizing in their processing, and thus we will be able to 
predict – well in advance -- who will subsequently report salient features of attentional patterns have become suboptimal for an 
interest (such as a man in a gorilla suit).This study also attempts to replicate essential task, such as drivers, train operators, pilots, 
previous dwell time findings in an online format. This include various patterns Figure One Figure Two Figure Three
seen in dwell time research like the boundary advantage effect (dwelling longer and air traffic controllers. 
on new information in the video).  
Research Questions -  Clearly much more work is needed to be done in order 
To what degree will patterns of dwelling across time clarify which aspects of 
events viewers are prioritizing in their processing? to complete this study, but results look promising thus 
To what degree will dwell time be able to predict – well in advance -- who will far. Upon completion of this project, We will be 
subsequently report salient features of interest?  
To what degree will previous patterns seen within dwell time research replicate?  submitting the results of this research for publication 
Study Two  through academic journals such as Cognition, Memory and Cognition, and Frontiers in Psychology. In addition, 
Methods we plan to present the research at various professional Challenges - The pandemic has proven to be a significant challenge for data collection, but many roadblocks have 
been cleared. Incorporation of dwell time tracking into an online survey has recently been made possible in meetings such as the Cognitive Science Society and 
preparation for this study. Code has been developed by Nicco Garofalo (with contributions from Scott Wallner, Yasu Psychonomics.  
My research simultaneously deploys two methodological techniques: the Tanaka). This tracking technology will become an open source research technique.  
“inattentional blindness paradigm” (IBP), which has an extended history in 
cognitive psychology, and the recently innovated “dwell-time Study Two Method - The goal of this study is to evaluate the change blindness effect (validated in slideshow format in 
paradigm” (DTP). My aim is to utilize these two methods in tandem to part one) through dwell time tracking technology. A minimum of 100 participants will participate per condition for 
investigate how attentional patterns, as assessed by the DTP, correspond data collection  Evaluate dwell time using the easy, medium, and hard condition (between subjects). Participants will 
with, and even predict, inattentional blindness, as measured by the IBP.  In a view same two slideshows validated in the first study (within subjects). Participants’ accuracy and dwell time 
validation study that is underway, I hope to replicate existing inattentional patterns will be measured.   
blindness findings utilizing new event sequences that are displayed in a 
slideshow format (rather than in video format, as is typical in this literature). Anticipated Results - Anticipated results are based off predictions from our hypothesis and previous patterns seen in References
My preliminary findings indicate clear replication of the inattentional dwell time research.   Simons, D. J., & Chabris, C. F. (1999). Gorillas in Our Midst: Sustained 
blindness phenomenon. The next step in the research is to mount a new Inattentional Blindness for Dynamic Events. Perception, 28(9), 1059–1074. 
study that involves recording viewers’ looking times (“dwell times”) as they https://doi.org/10.1068/p281059 
advance at their own pace through the inattentional-blindness-inducing 
slideshows. These data will be collected via an on-line DTP program that I Sage, Kara D, & Baldwin, Dare. (2014). Looking to the hands: Where we 
have developed in collaboration with my advisor and two student colleagues. dwell in complex manual sequences. Visual Cognition, 22(8), 1092-1104.
The proposed study will simultaneously a) validate the on-line DTP code (via 
replication with slideshows previously utilized in in-lab DTP studies), and b) 
provide altogether new data regarding attentional (i.e., dwell-time) patterns 
predictive of inattentional blindness. 
Two Part Research Method - Acknowledgments
Thanks to Lanch McCormick for making this symposium possible. Many people 
Part one - A replication and verification study which will validate change 
blindness in selected videos.  have added unique insights in order to develop this project. Significant contributions have been made through multiple undergraduate research 
Part two - New research which will look at attentional patterns in change assistants and partners from other universities. In particular, Nicco Garofalo, 
blindness. and Ava Archer deserve special credit for their amazing contributions to the 
project. Special thanks to Dare Baldwin for all the amazing help and support 
on this project as well. Without her leadership and trust, this project would 
never have been able to develop so quickly and incredibly.