Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
gland is asked to increase the production of activating hormones like
adrenalin and cortisol. Both hormones have a comparable effect on the
body. Adrenalin has a more long-lasting effect and can influence our
body for hours; cortisol is a short-term stimulator (about 10 minutes).
Due to these hormones, the blood pressures rises, the heart rate
increases and more sugar is released in the blood. The body is ready for
whatever might come. The alertness narrows and the focus increases.
All nonrelevant stimuli are excluded from working memory to maintain
maximum capacity to execute plans. Internal reasoning is on a high
level. We experience the feeling of living on the edge.
6.1.1 Too Much Focus: Inattentional Blindness
While being very focused on a task, we can miss crucial information.
This is called inattentional blindness (Mack, 2003; Most, 2010). A per-
son can fail to notice a stimulus that is in plain sight. This can happen
when the stimulus is unexpected but fully visible. A strong focus works
like a filter and pays attention only to a few crucial stimuli directly
related to a task. A new employee on a task will more easily suffer
from inattentional blindness because she still needs more attention to
fulfill the regular demands, which are not automated yet.
If you need all your attention to accomplish one task, you will miss all
other information.
Case 1
In this case, once the oil comes out of the pipe, everything goes so fast
that there is no time for deliberation. The risk understanding increases
the brain speed to a maximum within a half second. With more time,
one might have discussed whether he still had manual options to close
the system. Now, only the basic
“
run for your life
”
option seemed to
be open.
Case 2
As soon as it is clear that the car in front has stopped and that it can
hardly be avoided, the driving instructor might give some advice on
what to do, but the student probably won
t hear it anymore. The
instructor has to act himself and cannot rely on the student anymore.
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