Task-dependent modulation of anticipatory attention: Evidence from Multiple-Object Tracking

Thanks to attention, we can focus on the things that are important and filter out what is not important. Attention ensures that only what is important at this moment is fully processed. It is also possible to direct your attention to multiple things at the same time. A method introduced in 1988, called Multiple Object Tracking (MOT), has demonstrated this very well. In our own research, we use this MOT method to get an idea of where people focus their attention while tracking objects. Because all objects are identical, following and continuously distinguishing a subset of them (the targets) requires a tactical allocation of attention. We utilize the aforementioned spotlight function of attention to precisely map how it is distributed by briefly showing probes: tiny, difficult-to-detect dots. By combining MOT and probe detection, we have been able to visualize the distribution of attention in different situations using such a heatmap.