The Dual Task Experiment

What is a dual task experiment? A dual task experiment is a procedure done in psychology that requires an individual to perform two tasks simultaneously in order to compare a performance based on a single task. In David Strayer and William Johnstons experiment, they performed a dual task study that assessed the effects of cellular phone conversations on performance of a simulated driving task. The purpose of this was to determine if driving while on the phone lead to a failure to detect traffic signals or slower reactions to those signals. Throughout the years, the use of cell phones while driving have increased tremendously. Whether it is due to dialing and holding the phone while talking or peripheral factors for casual of accidents. There has also been …show more content…
Experiment 2 implemented to localize the source of cell phone interference on driving. The participants were set on easy, predictable course and a difficult unpredictable course. This is where the dual task comes into play. “A showing task in which the participants performed the simulated driving task while they repeated words that the experimenter read to them over a hand held cell phone. The shadowing dual task condition assessed the contribution of holding the phone, listening, and speaking to the dual task that was identical to their shadowing task with the exception that the participant was required to generate a new word that began with the last letter of the word read by the experimenter” (Strayer, 2001).The conclusion to this experiment said that there was a slower reaction time to traffic signals while on their phone. Their data concluded that it was consistent with an attention biased interpretation in which the disruptive effects of cell phone conversations on driving are due primarily to the diversion of attention from, driving to the phone conversation