IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0026337.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Reduced Distractibility in a Remote Culture

Author

Listed:
  • Jan W de Fockert
  • Serge Caparos
  • Karina J Linnell
  • Jules Davidoff

Abstract

Background: In visual processing, there are marked cultural differences in the tendency to adopt either a global or local processing style. A remote culture (the Himba) has recently been reported to have a greater local bias in visual processing than Westerners. Here we give the first evidence that a greater, and remarkable, attentional selectivity provides the basis for this local bias. Methodology/Principal Findings: In Experiment 1, Eriksen-type flanker interference was measured in the Himba and in Western controls. In both groups, responses to the direction of a task-relevant target arrow were affected by the compatibility of task-irrelevant distractor arrows. However, the Himba showed a marked reduction in overall flanker interference compared to Westerners. The smaller interference effect in the Himba occurred despite their overall slower performance than Westerners, and was evident even at a low level of perceptual load of the displays. In Experiment 2, the attentional selectivity of the Himba was further demonstrated by showing that their attention was not even captured by a moving singleton distractor. Conclusions/Significance: We argue that the reduced distractibility in the Himba is clearly consistent with their tendency to prioritize the analysis of local details in visual processing.

Suggested Citation

  • Jan W de Fockert & Serge Caparos & Karina J Linnell & Jules Davidoff, 2011. "Reduced Distractibility in a Remote Culture," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(10), pages 1-8, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0026337
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0026337
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0026337
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0026337&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0026337?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. C. Shawn Green & Daphne Bavelier, 2003. "Action video game modifies visual selective attention," Nature, Nature, vol. 423(6939), pages 534-537, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Pierre Mégevand & Sophie Molholm & Ashabari Nayak & John J Foxe, 2013. "Recalibration of the Multisensory Temporal Window of Integration Results from Changing Task Demands," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(8), pages 1-9, August.
    2. Brian D Glass & W Todd Maddox & Bradley C Love, 2013. "Real-Time Strategy Game Training: Emergence of a Cognitive Flexibility Trait," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(8), pages 1-7, August.
    3. Aaron V Berard & Matthew S Cain & Takeo Watanabe & Yuka Sasaki, 2015. "Frequent Video Game Players Resist Perceptual Interference," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(3), pages 1-10, March.
    4. Stephanie Carlson & Yuichi Shoda & Ozlem Ayduk & Lawrence Aber & Catherine Schaefer & Anita Sethi & Nicole Wilson & Philip Peake & Walter Mischel, 2017. "Cohort Effects in Children's Delay-of-Gratification," Working Papers 2017-077, Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group.
    5. Aleksandar Klasnja & Natasa Milenovic & Sonja Lukac & Aleksandar Knezevic & Jelena Klasnja & Vedrana Karan Rakic, 2022. "The Effects of Regular Physical Activity and Playing Video Games on Reaction Time in Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-7, July.
    6. Stefanie Duyck & Hans Op de Beeck, 2019. "An investigation of far and near transfer in a gamified visual learning paradigm," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(12), pages 1-23, December.
    7. Bonny, Justin W. & Scanlon, Mike & Castaneda, Lisa M., 2020. "Variations in psychological factors and experience-dependent changes in team-based video game performance," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    8. Charlotte Willems & Johannes Herdzin & Sander Martens, 2015. "Individual Differences in Temporal Selective Attention as Reflected in Pupil Dilation," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(12), pages 1-13, December.
    9. Mirza Rayana Sanzana & Mostafa Osama Mostafa Abdulrazic & Jing Ying Wong & Chun-Chieh Yip, 2024. "Personnel Training for Common Facility Management Issues in Thermal-Energy-Storage Chiller Plant using a Serious 3D Game," Simulation & Gaming, , vol. 55(2), pages 224-248, April.
    10. Rengjian Yu & Lihua He & Changsong Gao & Xianghong Zhang & Enlong Li & Tailiang Guo & Wenwu Li & Huipeng Chen, 2022. "Programmable ferroelectric bionic vision hardware with selective attention for high-precision image classification," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    11. Tim Wulf & Nicholas D. Bowman & Diana Rieger & John A. Velez & Johannes Breuer, 2018. "Running Head: Video Game Nostalgia and Retro Gaming," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(2), pages 60-68.
    12. Troy A W Visser & Jeneva L Ohan, 2012. "How Does Information Processing Speed Relate to the Attentional Blink?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(3), pages 1-8, March.
    13. Sangyub Kim & Yeonji Baik & Kichun Nam, 2022. "The Effects of Self-Perceived Parenting Attitudes on Visuo-Spatial Attention and Mental Rotation Abilities among Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-16, July.
    14. Wang, Qingfeng & Sun, Xu, 2016. "Investigating gameplay intention of the elderly using an Extended Technology Acceptance Model (ETAM)," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 59-68.
    15. Daniela Brand Forero, 2018. "El impacto de los videojuegos sobre las habilidades cognitivas de ninos y adolecentes en Colombia," Revista Economía y Región, Universidad Tecnológica de Bolívar, vol. 12(1), pages 65-93, June.
    16. Rabi Datta & Seung-Hun Chon & Thomas Dratsch & Ferdinand Timmermann & Luise Müller & Patrick Sven Plum & Stefan Haneder & Daniel Pinto dos Santos & Martin Richard Späth & Roger Wahba & Christiane Jose, 2020. "Are gamers better laparoscopic surgeons? Impact of gaming skills on laparoscopic performance in “Generation Y” students," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(8), pages 1-15, August.
    17. Douglas A. Gentile, 2013. "Catharsis and Media Violence: A Conceptual Analysis," Societies, MDPI, vol. 3(4), pages 1-20, December.
    18. Robert West & Edward L. Swing & Craig A. Anderson & Sara Prot, 2020. "The Contrasting Effects of an Action Video Game on Visuo-Spatial Processing and Proactive Cognitive Control," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-12, July.
    19. Hauke S Meyerhoff & Nina A Gehrer, 2017. "Visuo-perceptual capabilities predict sensitivity for coinciding auditory and visual transients in multi-element displays," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(9), pages 1-11, September.
    20. Jacqueline M Fulvio & C Shawn Green & Paul R Schrater, 2014. "Task-Specific Response Strategy Selection on the Basis of Recent Training Experience," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(1), pages 1-16, January.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0026337. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: plosone (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.