10.17910/B7.326
Databrary
Volume
Databrary Access Agreement
Multisensory Attention Assessment Protocol (MAAP)
Bahrick, Lorraine E.
Florida International University
Todd, James Torrence
Florida International University
2017
MAAP Description: The Multimodal Attention Assessment Protocol (MAAP) is a novel procedure designed to assess individual differences in multiple components of attention to dynamic, audiovisual social and nonsocial events within a single session, derived from standard visual preference procedures and gap-overlap tasks. It is appropriate for infants and children starting at 3 months of age. The MAAP integrates into a single test, measures of three fundamental “building blocks” of attention that support the typical development of social and communicative functioning. The protocol indexes 1) duration of looking (attention maintenance), 2) speed of attention shifting, and 3) accuracy of intersensory matching to audiovisual events in the context of high competition (an irrelevant, distractor event is present) or low competition (no distractor event present). It thus provides 6 measures of attention—duration, speed, and accuracy in high vs. low competition—to social and nonsocial events. The difference between performance under high and low competition conditions reflects the cost of competing stimulation on each measure of attention (see highlight video).
MAAP Method: The protocol consists of 24 13-s trials composed of 2 blocks of 12 trials: one block of social (women speaking with positive affect) and one block of nonsocial (objects being dropped into a clear container) events. On each trial, a 3-s central visual stimulus (dynamic geometric patterns) is followed by two lateral, dynamic video events for 12 s—one in synchrony with an accompanying natural soundtrack and the other out of synchrony. On half of the trials, the central visual event remains on while the lateral events are presented, providing additional competing stimulation (high competition trials) and on half of the trials the central visual event disappears as soon as the laterals events appear (low competition trials). Participants are videotaped and/or coded live by trained observers, blind to the lateral positions of the events.
MAAP Measures: Duration of looking (proportion of available looking time [PALT] spent fixating either lateral event), speed of attention shifting (reaction time [RT] to shift attention to either lateral event), and accuracy of intersensory matching (proportion of total looking time [PTLT] to the sound-synchronous lateral event) are assessed under high and low competition to social and nonsocial events.
The highlight video below presents 2 exemplar trials from each condition in the MAAP: 1) low competition social, 2) high competition social, 3) low competition nonsocial, 4) high competition nonsocial. Note: the precision of audiovisual synchrony viewed in these examples may vary depending on internet connection type and available bandwidth and may not reflect the actual temporal synchronies. The full protocol is played using custom-designed Matlab software.
intersensory
attention