Neural and Behavioral Signatures of Dual-Task Interference During Outdoors Walking

As earwear becomes popular for consuming information on-the-go, users must split their attention between processing auditory information and cognitive-motor demands of navigating. This division of attention raises concerns about pedestrian safety and effectiveness of auditory information intake. Here, we manipulated both attention and movement to compare differences while single- and dual-tasking. Participants (n=12) either actively responded to a continuous auditory sequence or listened passively, while seated or walking along an outdoor trail, while we recorded their brain activity using electroencephalography (EEG). Participants made more errors during walking, suggesting dual-task interference. Preliminary analysis of the EEG data revealed reliable neural signatures associated with sensory processing and subsequent attentional allocation during seated and walking conditions. These results validate our approach and offer insights into dual-tasking in naturalistic environments.