Leftward attentional bias in a simulated driving task

• Vision is the primary information source in driving.
• Visual attention orienting can be biased by task characteristics.
• Previous studies reported leftward biases in visual-spatial tasks (pseudoneglect).
• We found an attentional leftward bias in a simulated driving task.
• We propose hemispheric activation could explain this bias.

With the aim of studying attentional leftward bias in a driving context, we combined recording of gaze behaviour with a simulated driving task (Lane Change Test – LCT) in spatial symmetry conditions. The LCT requires driving along a straight traffic-free three-lane road, changing lanes according to the information provided by two identical road signs displayed concurrently on both left and right sides of the road. Participants directed most of their attention to the left-hand signs. The prevalent visuospatial nature of the driving task – which is supposed to mostly activate the right cerebral hemisphere – could have caused a contralateral attention shift. The introduction of a secondary task – performed with the right hand, concurrently with the LCT – attenuated the leftward bias.