Multiple Object Tracking

Overview

Source: Laboratory of Jonathan Flombaum—Johns Hopkins University

In a staggeringly complex and engaging world, it is crucial to selectively process some stimuli at the expense of others. Experimental psychologists call this ability attention. Specifically, visual attention refers to the ability to selectively process aspects of a visual scene.

Many paradigms used to study visual attention involve brief, punctuated, and repeated trials. However, everyday situations often place sustained demands on attention, as opposed to requiring only brief focus. For example, compare driving through busy city streets, which demands sustained attention, with crossing a busy street, which demands just a few moments of caution. To investigate sustained visual attention, experimental psychologists typically rely on a paradigm called multiple object tracking.

This video demonstrates standard procedures for investigating sustained visual attention through multiple object tracking.

Procedure

1. Stimulus design (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Schematic depiction of a typical multiple object tracking trial. A participant tracks a subset of discs that move randomly among a group of identical nontargets.

The basic design of a multiple object tracking (MOT) trial is relatively straightforward: begin the trial with a number of identical objec

Results

The results of the experiment include several subjects, and the average performance for the group of participants is reported as a function of tracking load (Figure 2).

Figure 2: A depiction of typical tracking performance as a function of target load. Researchers often find that participants perform relatively accurately with only 2-4 targets to trac

Application and Summary

For the last 25 years, multiple object tracking has been one of the primary methods for investigating the limits of human sustained attention and the causes of those limits. It can be used to investigate differences in attentional abilities between individuals in different populations, such as those with ADHD compared to age-matched controls. And it can also be used to investigate the efficacy of interventions for improving sustained attention, for instance, the effects of drugs, such as Ritalin or Adderall.