The attention window and attentional asymmetries: is the shape of the attentional spotlight symmetric or not?

Background: Based on previous research involving the attention window paradigm the
attentional focus is considered to have the shape of a symmetric ellipse (comparable to
the visual field). However, there are many studies demonstrating the influence of
attentional asymmetries in a lot of different tasks and environments in and outside of
sports. Additionally, theories that try to explain pseudoneglect (systematic failures in linebisection
performance) often state that the left side of an object or the visual field receives
more attention than the right side. This can possibly lead to better identification of stimuli
that are presented to the left side of the point of fixation compared to identification of stimuli
that are presented on the right side of the center. However, the current form of the attention
window paradigm does not allow verifying if the elliptic shape is indeed symmetric and if
identification performance differs for each side of the ellipse. That is why we aimed to
modify the original version of the paradigm in a way that makes identifying asymmetries
possible. Methods: Participants were required to perceive the number of certain stimuli at
two different locations correctly. The distance of the stimuli to the fixation cross in the
center of the screen differed and participants were only allowed to make use of peripheral
vision. Results: In accordance with theories trying to explain the phenomenon of
pseudoneglect the analyses of data showed that participants were able to perform better
for stimuli that were presented to the left than to the right side of the fixation cross.
Conclusion: The results are discussed with regard to research on the attentional window
and its consequences for attention-related research in sports and other environments.