Change detection in vision

What is the purpose of this research?

This project is to investigate how human observers detect changes in visual scenes. The ability to detect changes is important—for example, it is imperative for a driver to detect obstacles that appear in the road; similarly, for parents, it is important that they notice when a child goes out of sight. This project will examine how well human observers detect these changes and how this ability alters in the course of aging.

Are you looking for people like me?

You are invited to participate in this study if you are:

• 60 years and over
• have normal or corrected-to-normal vision (by glasses and contact lenses when correction is necessary)
• have no known history of neurological disorders.

What will you ask me to do?

You will be asked to take part in a lab experiment that involves the following tasks:

• In the main task, you will be shown a series of pictures depicting visual scenes, in which something will change in certain ways. You will be asked to respond to the change by making simple actions such as pressing buttons. We will measure how quickly and accurately you can make the response.
• In the other tasks, we will measure your eyesight, general cognitive skills (such as memory and calculation), and information processing speed.

The whole experiment is expected to last up to 1 hour.

Are there any risks for me in taking part?

You will view and respond to many images on a computer screen, which could cause general fatigue and eye strain. To prevent them as much as possible, the experiment will involve multiple short breaks.

In tasks that assess your general cognitive skills and information processing speed, if you find them challenging, you might feel concerned about your performance. However, they are research instruments, not clinical diagnostic tools, and therefore you do not need to be concerned about how well you should perform those tasks.

It should be noted that if you do agree to participate, you can withdraw from participation in the research project without comment or penalty.

Are there any benefits for me in taking part?

It is expected that this study will not benefit you directly. However, it may benefit the society by achieving a deeper understanding of how human observers detect visual changes, a fundamental perceptual process that is involved in many everyday situations.

Will I be compensated for my time?

To recognise your contribution, should you choose to participate, we will offer you a $20 grocery store voucher. The voucher will be offered to you even when you withdraw from the study, as long as you attempt to perform the tasks described above.

I am interested - what should I do next?

Contact Naohide Yamamoto via email naohide.yamamoto@qut.edu.au. You will be provided with further information to ensure that your decision and consent to participate is fully informed.