Splitting Visual Focal Attention? It Probably Depends on Who You Are

Research evidence now suggests that the deployment of multiple attentional foci in non-contiguous locations (i.e., splitting visual focal attention) is possible under some circumstances. However, the exact circumstances under which focal attention might ‘split ’ have not been well understood. The present study is the first in the literature to examine the possibility that ecological differences arising from our increasingly media-saturated environment may result in individual differences in the capacity to demonstrate splitting focal attention. Results suggest a significant relationship between the behavioural preference for consuming multiple media forms simultaneously and the capacity to employ a split mode of attention