Change detection for measuring attention allocation: A new approach for capturing situation awareness

Attention allocation is an important component of situation awareness and is often assessed with eye tracking. A series of pilot studies were performed to examine a novel approach to evaluating attention in complex three dimensional environments that pose challenges to eye tracking methodologies. This novel approach involves integrating change detector objects into an existing interface to assess attention allocation within the interface. Three pilot studies examined the effectiveness of prototype change detector objects in conjunction with a primary manual tracking task. Change detection accuracy and response times were measured between change detectors located at systematically varying distances from the manual tracking task locus of attention. The results provide evidence for this approach to differentiate between interface regions and their associated attention allocation while completing a primary task. Future efforts will focus on examining the effectiveness of these change detectors in assessing attention allocation during a simulated nuclear process task using a microworld simulation environment.