Human Attention Laboratory
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Lab Overview
The Human Attention Laboratory (HAL) focuses on investigating the potential of techniques such as gaze behaviour (i.e., eye tracking), high-density electrophysiological recording (i.e., EEG), optical imaging (i.e., fNIRS), and interventional methods (i.e., tDCS) to better understand how different contexts (e.g., high pressure, task monotony, mild cognitive impairment) influence an individual's ability to maintain focus and/or perform during cognitively demanding tasks (e.g., competitive esports, active lifeguarding).
HAL serves a diverse range of populations, including individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early-onset dementia, elite esports competitors, lifeguards, military personnel, and students. If you are interested in collaborating, or feel a laboratory member could support your own research, please email Dr Benjamin Sharpe at b.sharpe@chi.ac.uk.
Key Staff
Benjamin T. Sharpe
Senior Lecturer in Cognitive Psychology, Director of the Human Attention Laboratory, Coordinator for the BSc Psychology of Esports and BSc Criminology and Forensic Psychology Programmes
Available Participation Opportunities
Dr Benjamin Sharpe is actively looking for motivated individuals to supervise for PhD programmes on topics related, but not limited to, cognition, sustained attention (vigilance), performance breakdowns under pressure, scene perception, esports.
Please review the following link for fees - postgraduate tuition fees - and then contact Benjamin if interested.
Research Projects
Critically reviewing our ability to sustain attention during vigilance tasks in a range of contexts (i.e., lifeguards, esports, students, military), and/or the ability/inability to remove oneself from a task (e.g., doom-scrolling).
- Sharpe, B. T., & Tyndall, I. (2025). The sustained attention paradox: a critical commentary on the theoretical impossibility of perfect vigilance. Cognitive Science, 49(4), e70061.
- Sharpe, B. T., Trotter, M. G., & Hale, B. J. (2025). Student Concentration: The Effectiveness of Micro-Breaks in a Classroom Setting. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1589411.
- Sharpe, B. T., & Spooner, R. (2025). Dopamine-Scrolling: A Modern Public Health Challenge Requiring Urgent Attention. Perspectives in Public Health.
- Sharpe, B. T., & Smith, J. (2024). Influence of vigilance performance on lifeguard gaze behaviour. Europe's journal of psychology, 20(3), 220.
- Sharpe, B. T., Smith, M. S., Williams, S. C., Talbot, J., Runswick, O. R., & Smith, J. (2023). An expert-novice comparison of lifeguard specific vigilance performance. Journal of safety research, 87, 416-430.
- Jones, S., Sharpe, B. T., King, R., Waldeck, D., & Tyndall, I. (2025). Putting on a disguise to fit in: A mixed methods study of experiences in autistic camouflaging. Research in Neurodiversity, 100004.
- Horne, G., Sharpe, B. T., & Swettenham, L. (2025). More Than Performance Coaching: A Case Study of Spacetime Psychology. Journal of Electronic Gaming and Esports, 3(1).
- Horne, G., Mogridge, C., & Sharpe, B. T. (Under Review). Spacetime (in) attention for applied psychology.
- Horne, G. & Sharpe, B. T. (Under Review). A functional contextualist process model of ADHD.
 The University of Chichester has secured significant funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) for an innovative Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity, marking a major milestone for both institutions. The two-year project will embed evidence-based assessment and optimization frameworks within the charity to transform how early intervention services are evaluated and improved for children with cerebral palsy, chromosome abnormalities, and rare genetic disorders.
The partnership will see the University of Chichester’s School of Law, Business and Psychology work closely with Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity, which currently supports over 100 children per week through specialist services including physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, music therapy, rebound therapy and hydrotherapy. Led by Dr Benjamin Sharpe, the project will transfer advanced research methodologies from academia to practice, developing the charity’s internal capacity to independently assess service impact and understand comprehensive family experiences.
- Sharpe, B. T. (Under Review). Attentional Economies in Hybrid Academic Environments: Navigating the Cognitive Landscape of Higher Education.
- Sharpe, B. T. (Under Review). Burden of Participation, Open Science, and Collaborative Innovation: Addressing Research Ethics and Knowledge Gaps in Esports Health.
- Sharpe, B. T. (Under Review). Computational Scaffolding for Multiplicity: Beyond Integration Toward Systematic Management of Multiple Perspectives in Qualitative Research
- Sharpe, B., Blacker, S. D., Myers, S. D., Birch, P. D., Poulus, D., & Vine, C. (2025). Commentary of the transferability of esports to military and emergency responder roles. Journal of Electronic Gaming and Esports, 1-20.
- Sharpe, B. T., & Tyndall, I. (2025). The sustained attention paradox: a critical commentary on the theoretical impossibility of perfect vigilance. Cognitive Science, 49(4), e70061.
- Sharpe, B. T., & Spooner, R. (2025). Dopamine-Scrolling: A Modern Public Health Challenge Requiring Urgent Attention. Perspectives in Public Health.
- Sharpe, B. T., & Birch, P. D. (2025). Psychology of Esports Special Issue: A Catalyst for Change. Journal of Electronic Gaming and Esports, 2(1).
- Sharpe, B., Halls, M., & Gladwin, T. E. (2022). The rise and fall of the dot-probe task: Opportunities for metascientific learning. Seeds of Science.
Examining how transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) affects individuals’ perceptions of stress, including cognitive anxiety, and challenge and threat appraisals, as well as behavioural and performance outcomes. It is hoped that the findings may offer valuable insights for applied practitioners, such as psychologists, coaches, and educators, seeking to enhance stress regulation, attentional control, and coping strategies in high-demand situations across various fields.
- Sharpe, B. T., Sharpe, A., Poulus, D., Obine, E. A. C., King, R., Birch, P. D., & Gladwin, T. E. (2025). Enhancing pressurized esports performance: a pilot study on the combined effects of transcranial direct current stimulation and arousal reappraisal. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 1-17.
- Sharpe, B. T., Leis, O., Moore, L., Sharpe, A. T., Seymour, S., Obine, E. A., & Poulus, D. (2024). Reappraisal and mindset interventions on pressurised esport performance. Applied psychology, 73(4), 2178-2199.
Exploring the psychological and physiological risks associated with sustained occupational vigilance, prolonged periods of attentional monitoring required in roles such as healthcare, security, transportation, and emergency response. Findings will likely highlight how chronic vigilance demands can lead to cognitive fatigue, stress accumulation, reduced performance, and long-term health implications.
- Cahart, M. S., Smith, M. S., Sharpe, B. T., Williams, S. C., Hill, S., Talbot, J., ... & Smith, J. (2025). Lifeguard training sharpens brain dynamics in novices during drowning detection. Safety Science, 191, 106957.
- Sharpe, B. T., & Tyndall, I. (2025). The sustained attention paradox: a critical commentary on the theoretical impossibility of perfect vigilance. Cognitive Science, 49(4), e70061.
- Sharpe, B. T., Smith, M. S., Williams, S. C., Hampshire, A., Balaet, M., Trender, W., ... & Smith, J. (2025). Beyond certification: improving lifeguard drowning detection through validated tools and specialized training. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 107, 103741.
- Sharpe, B. T., & Smith, J. (2024). Influence of vigilance performance on lifeguard gaze behaviour. Europe's journal of psychology, 20(3), 220.
- Sharpe, B. T., Smith, M. S., Williams, S. C., Hampshire, A., Balaet, M., Trender, W., ... & Smith, J. (2024). Cognition and lifeguard detection performance. Applied cognitive psychology, 38(1), e4139.
- Sharpe, B. T., Smith, M. S., Williams, S. C., Talbot, J., Runswick, O. R., & Smith, J. (2023). An expert-novice comparison of lifeguard specific vigilance performance. Journal of safety research, 87, 416-430.
Investigating the effects of psychological pressure on cognitive anxiety, challenge and threat appraisals, gaze behaviour, and action performance during esport tasks among national and university-level competitors, this study provides vital information that applied practitioners (e.g., coaches, sport psychologists) can use to help esport competitors perform better when it matters most (e.g., reduce anxiety, boost coping resources, maintain optimal attentional control), while also offering transfer to non-esport related occupations/activities.
- Pedraza-Ramirez, I., Sharpe, B., Behnke, M., Toth, A. J., & Poulus, D. R. (2025). The psychology of esports: Trends, challenges, and future directions. Psychology of sport and exercise, 102967.
- Sharpe, B. T., Rogers, E., & Montanari, S. (2025). Cognitive Performance and Nutrition in Esports. In Esports Nutrition: Enhancing Cognitive and Physical Performance in Competitive Gaming (pp. 15-27). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
- Sharpe, B. T., Blacker, S., Myers, S., Birch, P. D. J., Poulus, D., & Vine, C. (2025). Commentary of the Transferability of Esports to Military and Emergency Responder Roles. Journal of Electronic Gaming and Esports, 2(1).
- Jenny, S. E. & Sharpe, B. T. (2025). Levels of Esports. In Hedlund, D. P., Fried, G. & Smith, R. (2nd Edition). Esports Business Management. Human Kinetics. 
- Sharpe, B. T., & Birch, P. D. (2025). Psychology of Esports Special Issue: A Catalyst for Change. Journal of Electronic Gaming and Esports, 2(1).
- Leis, O., Sharpe, B. T., Moriconi, M., Ascenso, I., & Barkoukis, V. (2025). Educational needs of the esports industry: a Delphi study. Journal of Electronic Gaming and Esports, 3(1).
- Baker, B. J., Sharpe, B. T. & Jenny, S. E. (2024). Esports Research: Current Status & Key Topics. In Jenny, S. E., Besombes, N., Brock, J., Cote, A. & Scholz, T. M. (Eds). Handbook of Esports. Routledge.
- Horne, G., & Sharpe, B. T. (2024). Esports are pretty far from Bodhi trees: touch grass for performance and well-being. Journal of Electronic Gaming and Esports, 2(1).
- Sharpe, B. T., Leis, O., Moore, L., Sharpe, A. T., Seymour, S., Obine, E. A., & Poulus, D. (2024). Reappraisal and mindset interventions on pressurised esport performance. Applied psychology, 73(4), 2178-2199.
- Sharpe, B. T., Obine, E. A., Birch, P. D., Pocock, C., & Moore, L. J. (2024). Performance breakdown under pressure among esports competitors. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 13(1), 89.
- Trotter, M. G., Obine, E. A., & Sharpe, B. T. (2023). Self-regulation, stress appraisal, and esport action performance. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1265778.
Aimed to enhance understanding of the psychological factors and neurocognitive processes influencing lifeguards' drowning detection performance, as limited empirical evidence exists on the discriminators of high or low detection abilities in lifeguards, and generate a research informed intervention for improving such abilities.
- Sharpe, B. T., Smith, M. S., Williams, S. C., Hampshire, A., Balaet, M., Trender, W., ... & Smith, J. (2025). Beyond certification: improving lifeguard drowning detection through validated tools and specialized training. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 107, 103741.
- Sharpe, B. T., & Smith, J. (2024). Influence of vigilance performance on lifeguard gaze behaviour. Europe's journal of psychology, 20(3), 220.
- Sharpe, B. T., Smith, M. S., Williams, S. C., Hampshire, A., Balaet, M., Trender, W., ... & Smith, J. (2024). Cognition and lifeguard detection performance. Applied cognitive psychology, 38(1), e4139.
- Sharpe, B. T., Smith, M. S., Williams, S. C., Talbot, J., Runswick, O. R., & Smith, J. (2023). An expert-novice comparison of lifeguard specific vigilance performance. Journal of safety research, 87, 416-430.
Active PhD Projects
The following PhD project, led by Mr Emmanuel, aims to develop an immersive virtual reality cognitive training game for individuals living with young-onset dementia and mild cognitive impairment; following a co-design approach.
The project will focus on investigating the efficacy and feasibility of the developed virtual reality cognitive training game.
The following PhD project, led by Mr Alexander Sharpe, aims to investigate the phenomenon known as 'doom-scrolling,' a term denoting the purported escalation of negative emotions resulting from repeated scrolling on mobile devices and the perceived adverse impact on the mental well-being of individuals engaging in such behaviour.
The following PhD project, led by Mr Oliver Griffith, aims to explore an area of psychology with untapped potential, increasing the understanding of the link between psychology and horror video game play.
- Griffith, O. J., & Sharpe, B. T. (2024). Investigating psychological disparities across gamers: A genre-based study. Journal of Electronic Gaming and Esports, 2(1).
- Griffith, O. J., & Sharpe, B. T. (2025). To See and Fear: A Pilot Study on Gaze Behaviour in Horror Gaming. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/pszxg
