Abstract
Raymond et al. (1992) introduced the term “attentional blink” to characterize the impairment in post-target processing that occurs during the presentation of a second stimulus closely after a first. This study aimed to replicate the original methodology of the second experiment by Raymond et al. (1992) while increasing the sample size and investigating the impact of physical activity on selective attention. A sample of participants (n = 132) aged 18-70 years old (M = 31.91, SD = 17.25) were recruited to complete the study. Participants underwent a rapid serial visual presentation task in which they were asked to complete an experimental and a control condition. In the experimental condition, they were asked to identify a white letter (target) presented in a succession of black letters and determine if the letter “X” (probe) was present at any point. In the control condition, they were asked to ignore the white letter (target) and determine whether the letter “X” (probe) was present. Each condition included 180 trials of which 90 included the probe located in the positions 0-8 following the target and never before the target. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire -- Short Form was used to determine physical activity levels. Consistent with Raymond et al.'s (1992) findings, there was a significant attentional blink effect. However, no significance was found in the role of physical activity levels on the attentional blink. Future studies should explore the potential effect of demographic variables, such as age and gender, as well as mental health (e.g., ADHD and dyslexia) to provide understanding as to the impact of different cognitive abilities on the attentional blink.