Linnell, Karina J; Caparos, Serge and Davidoff, Jules B.. 2014. Urbanization increases left-bias in line-bisection: An expression of elevated levels of intrinsic alertness? Frontiers in Psychology, 5(1127), pp. 1-7. ISSN 1664-1078 [Article]

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Abstract or Description

Urbanization impairs attentional selection and increases distraction from task-irrelevant contextual information, consistent with a reduction in attentional engagement with the task in hand. Previously, we proposed an attentional-state account of these findings, suggesting that urbanization increases intrinsic alertness and with it exploration of the wider environment at the cost of engagement with the task in hand. Here, we compare urbanized people with a remote people on a line-bisection paradigm. We show that urbanized people have a left spatial bias where remote people have no significant bias. These findings are consistent with the alertness account and provide the first test of why remote peoples have such an extraordinary capacity to concentrate.

Item Type:	Article
Identification Number (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01127
Additional Information:	This work was supported by a grant from the ESRC UK (2558227) to Jules Davidoff, Karina Linnell, Jan de Fockert, and Andy Bremner, and the donation of a CRT from Cambridge Research Systems.
Keywords:	attention, engagement, control, alertness, spatial attention, spatial bias, laterality, urbanization
Departments, Centres and Research Units:	Psychology
Dates:	Date Event 9 October 2014 Published 16 September 2014 Accepted
Item ID:	12644
Date Deposited:	14 Aug 2015 15:24
Last Modified:	29 Apr 2020 16:11
Peer Reviewed:	Yes, this version has been peer-reviewed.
URI:	https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/12644

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