Abstract
We investigated whether the flashing LEDs occurring near participants can interfere with the detection task presented in far front of them. Participants (n = 20) were asked to detect the brake lights displayed on the forward monitor. LEDs were placed in the left- and right-side vicinity of the participants. We manipulated the spatial congruency (congruent, incongruent) and SOA (50, 150, 350, 550 ms) between the LED and brake lights. Results showed the significant main effect of SOA, indicating that the detection of brake lights was delayed immediately after the LED onsets. We further found that RTs of congruent trials was larger than those of incongruent trials at SOA = 550 ms condition, showing that spatial attention was captured by LED lights. These results suggest that spatially task-irrelevant presentation of LED flashes simulating in-vehicle technology may capture attention and interfere with the detection of changes in the road environment ahead.
