Abstract
In this study we investigate whether people timesharing two tasks might perform worse when using an HMD than when using a conventional monitor for one of the tasks. Specifically, we set out to partially replicate and extend Liu et al.’s (2009) findings that anesthesiologists took 60 seconds longer to notice a simulated respiratory waveform change (decrease in waveform frequency) when using an HMD than when using a conventional monitor—a finding consistent with inattentional blindness (IAB). Our study shows that participants using an HMD detect all changes faster, but it also suggests that detecting decreases in waveform frequency might be relatively harder with an HMD than detecting increases. The results suggest future directions to take to investigate the conditions under which participants might not notice changes in an HMD display.