Maintenance of Attention: Leveling-Sharpening Differences in a Randomization Task

Abstract

In a task requiring the random generation of binary digits, Accuracy sharpening Ss were superior to Accuracy leveling Ss in sustaining the randomness of longer binary words across time. These results were interpreted as stemming from stylistic differences in the maintenance of attention during tedious and monotonous tasks. The results also supported the prediction that levelers and sharpeners as measured by the lag score would be less differentiated on the randomization task than accuracy levelers and sharpeners since the lag score involves a kind of attention, that is, to context and long-term change, which is largely irrelevant to the randomization task.