What are
attention lapses?They are difficult to
define precisely but easily recognized by everyone and are often referred to as
absent mindedness. Most people have experienced “lost” periods of time while
driving, when one realizes that one has been driving without being explicitly
aware of it. Sometimes we miss signposts because of our inattention. We forget
why we went into a room. We fail to finish tasks because we get distracted. We
open the fridge and have no idea what we are looking for. The examples could be
multiplied. Such lapses are most often harmless or merely inconvenient, but occasionally
they can have serious consequences including automobile, airline and industrial
accidents, and even nuclear accidents. In principle, harmless everyday lapses
are not different from those that have serious consequences,
hence it is important to understand the causes and occasions for lapses more generally.
There is some evidence that some, but by no means
all, people with sleep related problems may be especially susceptible to attention
lapses. Whether or not this turns out to be true, information about the frequency
and nature of attention lapses in everyday life has potential for a greater
understanding and control of accidents.
We are
interested in receiving reports of these sorts of attention lapses in everyday
life. We are particularly interested in what gives rise to them, when and how
people come to be aware of them, and what they were thinking of at the time. We
are interested in who has them, when they have them, and what circumstances
cause them. One way of gathering information on these events as they occur in
everyday life is through the personal accounts of people as they have them.
This is a kind of diary study in which the focus is on specific kind of events
– attention failures. It is also a very highly structured diary in that we need
to ensure that we get very specific sorts of information. Thus, whenever you
make an entry about an attention lapse, you will need to provide answers to
specific questions.
We very much appreciate your contributions if you should
decide to fill out the diaries. This research has been approved by the Office
of Human Research at the University
of Waterloo. All information
collected as a result of your participation in the study will be used for
research purposes only and no individuals will be identified in any report of
this research. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this project
please contact us.
Whenever you experience an attention lapse, please fill out and
submit an Attention Lapse Report.
Report
Date of Lapse:
Day
Month
Year
Time of Lapse:
: Hour
Minute
Location:
If you selected other please briefly describe the event location:
Please describe the event in as much detail as possible.
Please explain what it was that made you aware of your attention lapse.
Please report what you can remember about what you were thinking, or aware of, during the event.
Do you have any idea what might have led to the lapse?
How do you normally structure your environment to prevent such attention lapses, or to minimize the consequences of an attention lapse like this?
Using the scale below, how would you rate the severity of the consequences of this lapse?
Age: Gender: Occupation:
Country:
Local Population:
As with all research at the University of Waterloo, we take care to ensure your confidentiality and the safety of your data. To view our confidentiality statement, click here (this opens a new window, please return here after to submit your report).
