Captured by the world wide web: Orienting to structural and content features of computer-presented information

Abstract

This article uses a limited-capacity information-processing perspective to investigate which structural features of computers elicit orienting responses in attentive computer users. The results of three experiments test the ability of plain text, boxed text, warnings, nonanimated banner advertisements, and animated banner advertisements to elicit cardiac-orienting responses in attentive computer users. A second question asks if user or computer control of stimulus presentation alters orienting behavior. A final hypothesis predicts stimuli that elicit orienting will be better recognized than those that do not. Results show that plain text, boxed text, and nonanimated banner advertisements do not elicit cardiac orienting. However, warnings and animated banner advertisements do elicit orienting. In general, stimuli that elicit orienting are recognized better than those that do not. Control over stimulus onset has little or no effect on orienting behavior.