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Masters of Science in Psychological Research (M.Sc.)

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2002-2003: Bangor University

 

Thesis

'Allocation of Attention during Limb Activation' under supervision of Dr Robert Ward

Research to date in the field of attention and action has proposed that visual attention is predominantly allocated to stimuli located in the region of space surrounding the active limb. There is, however, relatively little research exploring the specific allocation of attention within this region of space. The aim of the present study was to further investigate the allocation of attention during the activation of a limb. The hypothesis of this study maintained that attention would be primarily allocated to the active limb and, in accordance with this hypothesis, it was predicted that a response to a target located on an active limb would be superior to a response to a target located on an inactive limb. Twenty-five participants were tested in a simulated 3D environment generated via an immersive virtual reality system. Each participant was presented with a letter identification target on the back of an active hand, on the back of an inactive hand, or on the table. Subsequent responses to the letter identification target were expected to exhibit significantly greater accuracy when the target had appeared on the active limb as opposed to when the target had appeared on the inactive limb or the table. The findings of the present study indicated no significant main effect of the location of the letter identification target: responses to the target were found to be approximately equivalent irrespective of the appearance of the target on the active limb, inactive, or table. These findings are discussed in the context of the theory of action and attention, and in relation to the research applications of virtual reality.

 

Modules

Advanced Statistics 1 83%
Advanced Statistics 2 73%
Behavioural Neurology 72%
Biological Bases of Psychological Disorders 73%
Communicating Research in Psychology 80%
Quantitative and Qualitative Statistical Analysis 69%
Research Methods 1 68%
Research Methods 2 80%
Research Thesis 68%

 

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