Dataset Information

Does Expertise Reduce Rates of Inattentional Blindness? A Meta-Analysis.

ABSTRACT: Inattentional blindness occurs when one fails to notice a fully visible stimulus because one's attention is on another task. Researchers have suggested that expertise at this other task should reduce rates of inattentional blindness. However, research on the topic has produced mixed findings. To gain clarity on the issue, we meta-analyzed the extant studies (K = 14; N = 1153). On average, experts showed only a slight reduction in rates of inattentional blindness: 62% of novices experienced inattentional blindness compared to 56% of experts, weighted odds ratio = 1.33, 95% CI [0.78, 2.28]. The relevance of the stimuli to the experts' domain of expertise showed no notable moderating effects. The low number of the included studies, and the small sample sizes of the original studies, weaken our conclusions. Nonetheless, when taken together, the available evidence provides little support for any reliable influence of expertise on rates of inattentional blindness.

SUBMITTER: Ekelund M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8813586 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Does Expertise Reduce Rates of Inattentional Blindness? A Meta-Analysis.

Ekelund Malin M Fernsund Hanna H Karlsson Simon S Mac Giolla Erik E

Perception 20220121 2

Inattentional blindness occurs when one fails to notice a fully visible stimulus because one's attention is on another task. Researchers have suggested that expertise at this other task should reduce rates of inattentional blindness. However, research on the topic has produced mixed findings. To gain clarity on the issue, we meta-analyzed the extant studies (<i>K</i> = 14; <i>N</i> = 1153). On average, experts showed only a slight reduction in rates of inattentional blindness: 62% of novices exp ...[more]

PMID: 35060780

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Project description:BackgroundHuman factors are increasingly being recognised as vital components of safe surgical care. One such human cognitive factor: inattention blindness (IB), describes the inability to perceive objects despite being visible, typically when one's attention is focused on another task. This may contribute toward operative 'never-events' such as retained foreign objects and wrong-site surgery.MethodsAn 8-week, mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) programme, adapted for surgeons, was delivered virtually. Neurosurgical trainees and recent staff-appointees who completed the MBI were compared against a control group, matched in age, sex and grade. Attention and IB were tested using two operative videos. In each, participants were first instructed to focus on a specific part of the procedure and assessed (attention), then questioned on a separate but easily visible aspect within the operative field (inattention). If a participant were 'inattentionally blind' they would miss significant events occurring outside of their main focus. Median absolute error (MAE) scores were calculated for both attention and inattention. A generalised linear model was fitted for each, to determine the independent effect of mindfulness intervention on MAE.ResultsThirteen neurosurgeons completed the mindfulness training (age, 30 years [range 27-35]; female:male, 5:8), compared to 15 neurosurgeons in the control group (age, 30 years [27-42]; female:male, 6:9). There were no significant demographic differences between groups. MBI participants demonstrated no significant differences on attention tasks as compared to controls (t = -1.50, p = 0.14). For inattention tasks, neurosurgeons who completed the MBI had significantly less errors (t = -2.47, p = 0.02), after adjusting for participant level and video differences versus controls. We found that both groups significantly improved their inattention error rate between videos (t = -11.37, p < 0.0001). In spite of this, MBI participants still significantly outperformed controls in inattention MAE in the second video following post-hoc analysis (MWU = 137.5, p = 0.05).DiscussionNeurosurgeons who underwent an eight-week MBI had significantly reduced inattention blindness errors as compared to controls, suggesting mindfulness as a potential tool to increase vigilance and prevent operative mistakes. Our findings cautiously support further mindfulness evaluation and the implementation of these techniques within the neurosurgical training curriculum.

Dataset Information

Does Expertise Reduce Rates of Inattentional Blindness? A Meta-Analysis.

Publications

Does Expertise Reduce Rates of Inattentional Blindness? A Meta-Analysis.

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