What Researchers Did
Researchers studied how isolation and confinement in a hyperbaric chamber for 28 days affected the selective attention of six male subjects.
What They Found
The study found that 28 days of isolation did not significantly change visual search or the ability to do two tasks simultaneously, with performance improving in double-task experiments. While attention to automatic cues remained normal, a "meridian effect" - slower reaction time when a stimulus is opposite a cue - was absent during isolation. This absence suggests a change in attention strategy or an initial deficit in attentional capacities.
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian connection identified.
Study Limitations
A key limitation of this study is its very small sample size of only six male subjects, which limits the generalizability of the findings.