Rest is best: The role of rest and task interruptions on vigilance

The Role of State and Trait Self-Control on the Sustained Attention to Response Task

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to assess the plausibility of self-control depletion, or ego-depletion, as the underlying cognitive resource responsible for performance decrements on the sustained attention to response task.

BACKGROUND

Researchers suggested that self-control is a limited cognitive resource used to complete a myriad of processes, including sustained attention. Past research showed that trait self-control affects some sustained attention tasks. However, little research has investigated the effect of self-control as a limited cognitive resource that varies over time (i.e., as a state-dependent variable).

METHODS

This experiment investigated the effect of self-control (trait and state) on a sustained motor-inhibition task (e.g., sustained attention to response task; SART). State self-control was manipulated using a between-subjects design-participants in the experimental condition completed a task designed to deplete state self-control prior to performing the SART while the control condition completed a modified version that did not deplete self-control.

RESULTS

Trait self-control predicted performance on the SART, but the depletion task (state self-control) had no detectable effect.

CONCLUSION

Given the evidence, it is unlikely that state self-control plays a causal role in performance decrements in the SART, but there appears to be some association between performance on the SART and trait self-control.

APPLICATION

Trait self-control ought to be considered in future work for personnel selection in real-world tasks that the SART models such as long-distance driving, air traffic control, and TSA operations.

Vigilance to Spatialized Auditory Displays: Initial Assessment of Performance and Workload

OBJECTIVE

The present study was designed to evaluate human performance and workload associated with an auditory vigilance task that required spatial discrimination of auditory stimuli.

BACKGROUND

Spatial auditory displays have been increasingly developed and implemented into settings that require vigilance toward auditory spatial discrimination and localization (e.g., collision avoidance warnings). Research has yet to determine whether a vigilance decrement could impede performance in such applications.

METHOD

Participants completed a 40-minute auditory vigilance task in either a spatial discrimination condition or a temporal discrimination condition. In the spatial discrimination condition, participants differentiated sounds based on differences in spatial location. In the temporal discrimination condition, participants differentiated sounds based on differences in stimulus duration.

RESULTS

Correct detections and false alarms declined during the vigilance task, and each did so at a similar rate in both conditions. The overall level of correct detections did not differ significantly between conditions, but false alarms occurred more frequently within the spatial discrimination condition than in the temporal discrimination condition. NASA-TLX ratings and pupil diameter measurements indicated no differences in workload.

CONCLUSION

Results indicated that tasks requiring auditory spatial discrimination can induce a vigilance decrement; and they may result in inferior vigilance performance, compared to tasks requiring discrimination of auditory duration.

APPLICATION

Vigilance decrements may impede performance and safety in settings that depend on sustained attention to spatial auditory displays. Display designers should also be aware that auditory displays that require users to discriminate differences in spatial location may result in poorer discrimination performance than non-spatial displays.

Fatigue and vigilance in medical experts detecting breast cancer

An abundance of laboratory-based experiments has described a vigilance decrement of reducing accuracy to detect targets with time on task, but there are few real-world studies, none of which have previously controlled the environment to control for bias. We describe accuracy in clinical practice for 360 experts who examined >1 million women's mammograms for signs of cancer, whilst controlling for potential biases. The vigilance decrement pattern was not observed. Instead, test accuracy improved over time, through a reduction in false alarms and an increase in speed, with no significant change in sensitivity. The multiple-decision model explains why experts miss targets in low prevalence settings through a change in decision threshold and search quit threshold and propose it should be adapted to explain these observed patterns of accuracy with time on task. What is typically thought of as standard and robust research findings in controlled laboratory settings may not directly apply to real-world environments and instead large, controlled studies in relevant environments are needed.

The interference of negative emotional stimuli on semantic vigilance performance in a dual-task setting

A large body of previous research has shown that emotional stimuli have an advantage in a wide variety of cognitive processes. This was mainly observed in visual search and working memory tasks. Emotionally charged objects draw and hold attention, are remembered better, and interfere more with the completion of the primary task than neutral ones. Therefore, it seems reasonable to assume that emotional stimuli also greatly affect sustained attention and vigilance decrement. In the present research, we investigated whether emotional stimuli demand more attentional resources than neutral ones in a dual-task paradigm. We adopted the abbreviated semantic discrimination vigilance task and measured participants' (N = 49) performance in a single-task and two dual-task settings. In the dual-task conditions, the visual semantic vigilance paradigm was combined with an auditory word recall task (with neutral or emotional stimuli). We found reduced vigilance and improved word recall performance in the emotional dual-task condition compared to the neutral dual-task and single-task conditions. The reduced performance was apparent throughout the task, while in the neutral conditions, participants' performance first increased and then dropped as time progressed. To conclude, our results indicate that emotional stimuli not only have an advantage in cognitive processing but also demand more attentional resources continuously while it is present compared to neutral stimuli. These results are consistent with the emotionality effect theory and evolutionary accounts of the neural circuits underlying motivated behaviors associated with critical survival needs.

A combined experimental-correlational approach to the construct validity of performance-based and self-report-based measures of sustained attention

The ability to sustain attention is often measured with either objective performance indicators, like within-person RT variability, or subjective self-reports, like mind wandering propensity. A more construct valid approach, however, may be to assess the covariation in these performance and self-report measures, given that each of these is influenced by different sources of measurement error. If the correlation between performance-variability and self-report measures reflects the sustained attention construct, then task manipulations aimed at reducing the sustained attention demands of tasks should reduce the correlation between them (in addition to reducing mean levels of variability and mind wandering). The current study investigated this claim with a combined experimental-correlation approach. In two experiments (Ns ~ 1,500 each), participants completed tasks that either maximized or minimized the demand for sustained attention. Our demand manipulations successfully reduced the mean levels of sustained attention failures in both the objective and subjective measures, in both experiments. In neither experiment, however, did the covariation between these measures change as a function of the sustained attention demands of the tasks. We can therefore claim only minimal support for the construct validity of our measurement approach to sustained attention.

An investigation of cardiac vagal tone over time and its relation to vigilance performance: a growth curve modeling approach

Introduction

Research over the last couple of decades has demonstrated a relationship between psychophysiological measures, specifically cardiac functions, and cognitive performance. Regulation of the cardiac system under parasympathetic control is commonly referred to as cardiac vagal tone and is associated with the regulation of cognitive and socioemotional states. The goal of the current study was to capture the dynamic relationship between cardiac vagal tone and performance in a vigilance task.

Method/Results

We implemented a longitudinal growth curve modeling approach which unveiled a relationship between cardiac vagal tone and vigilance that was non-monotonic and dependent upon each person.

Discussion

The findings suggest that cardiac vagal tone may be a process-based physiological measure that further explains how the vigilance decrement manifests over time and differs across individuals. This contributes to our understanding of vigilance by modeling individual differences in cardiac vagal tone changes that occur over the course of the vigilance task.

An expert-novice comparison of lifeguard specific vigilance performance

INTRODUCTION

Lifeguards must maintain alertness and monitor an aquatic space across extended periods. However, lifeguard research has yet to investigate a lifeguard's ability to maintain performance over time and whether this is influenced by years of certified experience or the detection difficulty of a drowning incident. The aim of this study was to examine whether lifeguard experience, drowning duration, bather number, and time on task influences drowning detection performance.

METHOD

A total of 30 participants took part in nine 60-minute lifeguard specific tasks that included 11 drowning events occurring at five-minute intervals. Each task had manipulated conditions that acted as the independent variables, including bather number and drowning duration.

RESULTS

The experienced group detected a greater number of drowning events per task, compared to novice and naïve groups. Findings further highlighted that time, bather number, and drowning duration has a substantial influence on lifeguard specific drowning detection performance.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

It is hoped that the outcome of the study will have applied application in highlighting the critical need for lifeguard organizations to be aware of a lifeguard's capacity to sustain attention, and for researchers to explore methods for minimizing any decrement in vigilance performance.

Exploring the Effects of Interruptions in Different Phases of Complex Decision-Making Tasks

OBJECTIVE

The study aims to examine the effects of interruptions in major phases (i.e., problem-identification, alternative-development, and evaluation-and-selection) of complex decision-making tasks.

BACKGROUND

The ability to make complex decisions is of increasing importance in workplaces. Complex decision-making involves a multistage process and is likely to be interrupted, given the ubiquitous prevalence of interruptions in workplaces today.

METHOD

Sixty participants were recruited for the experiment to complete a procurement task, which required them to define goals, search for alternatives, and consider multiple attributes of alternatives to make decisions. Participants in the three experimental conditions were interrupted to respond to messages during one of these three phases, whereas participants in the control condition were not interrupted. The impacts of interruptions on performance, mental workload, and emotional states were measured through a combination of behavioral, physiological, and subjective evaluations.

RESULTS

Only participants who were interrupted in the evaluation-and-selection phase exhibited poorer task performance, despite their positive feelings toward interruptions and confidence. Participants who were interrupted in the problem-identification phase reported higher mental workload and more negative perceptions toward interruptions. Interruptions in the alternative-development phase led to more temporal changes in arousal and valence than interruptions in other phases.

CONCLUSION

Interruptions during the evaluation-and-selection phase undermine overall performance, and there is a discrepancy between behavioral outcomes and subjective perceptions of interruption effects.

APPLICATION

Interruptions should be avoided in the evaluation-and-selection phase in complex decision-making. This phase information can be either provided by users or inferred from coarse-grained interaction activities with decision-making information systems.

Theory-driven treatment modifications: A discussion on meeting the linguistic, cognitive, and psychosocial needs of individual clients with aphasia

There is a growing body of literature demonstrating that language rehabilitation can improve naming impairments for individuals with aphasia. However, there are challenges applying evidence-based research to clinical practice. Well-controlled clinical studies often consist of homogenous samples and exclude individuals who may confound group-level results. Consequently, the findings may not generalize to the diverse clients serviced by speech-language therapists. Within evidence-based guidelines, clinicians can leverage their experiences and theoretical rationale to adapt interventions to meet the needs of individual clients. However, modifications to evidence-based interventions should not alter aspects of treatment that are necessary to produce change within the treatment target. The current discussion paper uses errorless learning, errorful learning, and retrieval practice for naming in aphasia to model how treatment theories can guide clinicians in making theory-informed modifications to interventions. First, we briefly describe the learning mechanisms hypothesized to underlie errorless learning, errorful learning, and retrieval practice. Next, we identify ways clinicians can provide targeted supports to optimize learning for individual clients. The paper ends with a reflection on how well-defined treatment theories can facilitate the generation of practice-based evidence and clinically relevant decision making.

Will the real resource theory please stand up! Vigilance is a renewable resource and should be modeled as such

The vigilance decrement or decline in signal detection performance with time on task is one of the most reliable findings in the cognitive neuroscience and psychology literatures. The majority of theories proposed to explain the decrement are limited cognitive or attention resource based theories; the central nervous system is a limited capacity processor. The decrement in performance is then due to resource reallocation (or misallocation), resource depletion or some combination of both mechanisms. The role of resource depletion, in particular, is hotly debated. However, this may be due to a lack of understanding of the renewable nature of the vigilance resources and how this renewal process impacts performance during vigilance tasks. In the present paper, a simple quantitative model of vigilance resource depletion and renewal is described and shown to generate performance data similar to results seen in both humans and spiders. This model clarifies the role resource depletion and resource renewal may play in vigilance in both people and other animals.

A New Explanation for the Attitude-Behavior Inconsistency Based on the Contextualized Attitude

Inconsistency between attitude and behavior is a major obstacle to research on the predictive power of attitudes on behavior. To clarify the mechanism underlying such inconsistency, we combined event-related potential (ERP) and questionnaires to explore the relationship between contextualized attitudes and retrospective attitudes in the context of illusion of privacy empowerment (IPE). When the participants read the IPE events (including platform empowerment intention, technique, result, etc.) on slides, we measured retrospective attitudes with questionnaires and recorded contextualized attitudes with ERPs. We found that individuals’ retrospective attitudes were different from contextualized attitudes: retrospective attitudes were mainly affected by the individual’s analytic system, while contextualized attitudes were mainly affected by the direct stimulus-response (i.e., heuristic system). Therefore, retrospective attitudes may not accurately reflect individual cognition in the immediate context, and inconsistency between attitudes and behavior may be caused by the mismatch between retrospective attitudes and immediate behavior. Our findings provide a more reasonable account of the relationship between attitudes and behavior.

Effects of task demands on tactile vigilance

A performance decline during sustained monitoring of unpredictable and occasional signals, the vigilance decrement, has been studied mostly in the visual and auditory modalities, but a tactile vigilance decrement also has been observed and has been associated with high perceived workload, declines in sensitivity and task engagement, and increases in distress. The primary aim of the current study was to determine whether task demands affect the vigilance decrement in the tactile modality and whether the effects are similar to those observed in the auditory and visual modalities. Participants completed a 40-min vigil in which they monitored vibrotactile stimuli generated by a tactor and had to discriminate between durations of bursts of vibrations. Task demand was varied by including low and high event rates. Although correct detections decreased over time (vigilance decrement) and sensitivity was greater for the slower event rate, there was not an interaction between period of watch and event rate. There also were no differences in workload and stress between event rates. Results indicate that mean performance in tactile vigilance tasks is negatively impacted by increases in event rate, indicating that a typical source of task demand known to affect visual and auditory vigilance also affects tactile vigilance. Results could be explained by either an underload or overload theory of the vigilance decrement.

[Asthenia, mental fatigue and cognitive dysfunction]

Conditions associated with asthenia are usually characterized by increased fatigue, impaired activities of daily living and decreased productivity. In clinical practice it is important to distinguish between idiopathic chronic fatigue (primary or functional asthenia) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Fatigue can also be classified by neuromuscular and/or cognitive and mental fatigue. The article discusses the neuroanatomical basis and focuses on the neurocognitive theory of pathological fatigue. In addition the relationship between mental stress, fatigue and cognitive impairments such as subjective cognitive impairment (SCI) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are also discussed. We discuss the rationale that for treatment of asthenic conditions accompanied by cognitive dysfunction it is justified to use combination therapy - fonturacetam and a preparation containing nicotinoyl-GABA and Ginkgo Biloba.

Modulating break types induces divergent low band EEG processes during post-break improvement: A power spectral analysis

Conventional wisdom suggests mid-task rest as a potential approach to relieve the time-on-task (TOT) effect while accumulating evidence indicated that acute exercise might also effectively restore mental fatigue. However, few studies have explored the neural mechanism underlying these different break types, and the results were scattered. This study provided one of the first looks at how different types of fatigue-recovery break exerted influence on the cognitive processes by evaluating the corresponding behavioral improvement and neural response (EEG power spectral) in a sustained attention task. Specifically, 19 participants performed three sessions of psychomotor vigilance tasks (PVT), with one session including a continuous 30-min PVT while the other two sessions additionally inserted a 15-min mid-task cycling and rest break, respectively. For behavioral performance, both types of break could restore objective vigilance transiently, while subjective feeling was only maintained after mid-task rest. Moreover, divergent patterns of EEG change were observed during post-break improvement. In detail, relative theta decreased and delta increased immediately after mid-task exercise, while decreased delta was found near the end of the rest-inserted task. Meanwhile, theta and delta could serve as neurological indicators to predict the reaction time change for exercise and rest intervention, respectively. In sum, our findings provided novel evidence to demonstrate divergent neural patterns following the mid-task exercise and rest intervention to counter TOT effects, which might lead to new insights into the nascent field of neuroergonomics for mental fatigue restoration.

The neuroelectrophysiological and behavioral effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on executive vigilance under a continuous monotonous condition

A prolonged period of vigilance task will lead to vigilance decrement and a drop in cognitive efficiency. Although transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can be used to improve cognitive performance following vigilance decrement, the findings in this area of study are inconsistent. This study aims to identify the neuroelectrophysiological and behavioral effects of tDCS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on executive vigilance under a continuous monotonous condition. We recruited 29 participants who randomly received 30 min active or sham tDCS before the vigilance task (anode electrode at the left DLPFC, cathode electrode at the right supraorbital area). Participants completed four sessions of vigilance task and five sessions of self-report sleepiness, Oddball task, and Go/Nogo task, for a total of about 5 h. EEG was acquired in real-time throughout the experiment. Repeated measures of ANOVA were utilized to analyze the evolution of each metric with task-on-time. The results demonstrated that subjective arousal state, vigilance performance, event-related potentials (ERPs), and EEG power were significantly affected by time on task. Brain stimulation did not significantly affect the evolution of subjective and objective executive vigilance performance, but significantly modulated spontaneous activity in the alpha and beta bands across the entire brain. The continuous enhancement of the prefrontal cortex increased P2 amplitude for the Oddball task, which was associated with the enhancement of the early stage of information processing. P3 amplitude had a temporary enhancement effect, which significantly decreased following a cognitive fatigue. tDCS had a continuous enhancement effect on N2 amplitude for the Go/Nogo task, which was associated with the enhanced inhibition of distracting stimuli. Together, the current data suggest that anodal tDCS over left DLPFC possibly enhances the early stage of relevant information processing and the inhibitory control of distracting stimuli during a continuous and monotonous vigilance task.

Conflict monitoring or multi-tasking? Tracking within-task performance in single-item and multi-item Stroop tasks

Cognitive control is applied in situations that require overriding a habitual and automatic response. The conflict monitoring hypothesis and the Expected Value of Control (EVC) theory as its extension posit a control system responsible for detecting conflicting occasions and adapting to them dynamically within a task. Here we evaluate this prediction in two versions of one of the most popular tasks in cognitive control, namely the Stroop task. We hypothesized that nearby-items interference combines with task interference in the multi-item version effectively turning it into a multi-task that may challenge cognitive control. Adopting an alternative methodology tracking within-task performance, we compared the classical multi-item version of the Stroop task and its single-item counterpart in adults and children. The results revealed a within-task performance decline only in the multi-item version of the task, in both incongruent and neutral conditions, modulated by the presumed maturity of the control system. These findings suggest capacity constraints in control implementation and allocation under conditions requiring parallel execution of multiple cognitive tasks. Task complexity and demands seem to modulate effects on performance. We discuss implications for cognitive control as well as substantial concerns regarding the calculation and use of indices of interference based on the commonly used multi-item version of the Stroop task.

Restoration of Attention by Rest in a Multitasking World: Theory, Methodology, and Empirical Evidence

In this work, we evaluate the status of both theory and empirical evidence in the field of experimental rest-break research based on a framework that combines mental-chronometry and psychometric-measurement theory. To this end, we (1) provide a taxonomy of rest breaks according to which empirical studies can be classified (e.g., by differentiating between long, short, and micro-rest breaks based on context and temporal properties). Then, we (2) evaluate the theorizing in both the basic and applied fields of research and explain how popular concepts (e.g., ego depletion model, opportunity cost theory, attention restoration theory, action readiness, etc.) relate to each other in contemporary theoretical debates. Here, we highlight differences between all these models in the light of two symbolic categories, termed the resource-based and satiation-based model, including aspects related to the dynamics and the control (strategic or non-strategic) mechanisms at work. Based on a critical assessment of existing methodological and theoretical approaches, we finally (3) provide a set of guidelines for both theory building and future empirical approaches to the experimental study of rest breaks. We conclude that a psychometrically advanced and theoretically focused research of rest and recovery has the potential to finally provide a sound scientific basis to eventually mitigate the adverse effects of ever increasing task demands on performance and well-being in a multitasking world at work and leisure.

Dynamic Reorganization of Functional Connectivity During Post-break Task Reengagement

Because of the undesired fatigue-related consequences, accumulating efforts have been made to find an effective intervention to alleviate the suboptimal cognitive function caused by mental fatigue. Nonetheless, limitations of intervention and evaluation methods may hinder the revealing of underlying neural mechanisms of fatigue recovery. Through the newly-developed dynamic functional connectivity (FC) analysis framework, this study aims to investigate the effects of two types of mid-task interventions (i.e., rest-break and moderate-intensity exercise-break) on the dynamic reorganization of FC during the execution of psychomotor vigilance test (PVT). Using a sliding window approach, temporal brain networks within each frequency band (i.e., δ, θ, α, & β) were estimated before and immediate after the intervention, and towards the end of the task to investigate the immediate and delayed effects respectively during post-break task reengagement. Behaviourally, similar beneficial effects of exercise- and rest-break on performance were observed, manifested by the immediate improvements after both interventions and a long-lasting influence towards the end of tasks. Moreover, temporal brain networks assessment showed significant immediate decreases of fluctuability, which followed by an increase of fluctuability towards the end of intervention tasks. Furthermore, the temporal nodal measure revealed the channels with significant differences across tasks were mainly resided in the fronto-parietal areas that exhibited interesting frequency-dependent distribution. The observations of immediate and delayed dynamic FC reorganizations extend previous fatigue-related intervention and static FC studies, and provide new insight into the dynamic characteristics of FC during post-break task reengagement.

'I need a break': the effect of choice of rest break duration on vigilance

Vigilance is the ability to sustain attention for an extended period of time and to respond to infrequently occurring critical signals. One of the most replicable findings within the vigilance literature is the performance decrement; the decline in performance as time on task increases. In an effort to attenuate the decrement, and decrease the workload and stress associated with vigilance, the present study investigated the role of choice of rest break duration on vigilance performance, perceived workload, and stress. Participants were assigned to one of three conditions: (1) choice condition, (2) no-choice condition (yoked-control), and (3) a no-break control condition. Participants completed a sensory vigilance task and common measures of workload and stress. A vigilance decrement was observed in all conditions. Participants in the choice condition exhibited more conservative responses and fewer false alarms than the no-choice condition. Across all conditions, task engagement and worry decreased, and distress increased. Practitioner Summary: This study shows the impact of rest breaks and autonomy on vigilance task performance. The findings suggest that resource theory is a plausible explanation for the vigilance decrement. Additionally, providing a choice in rest break length changes the operator's criterion following the break. Abbreviations: TSA: transportation security administration; SART: sustained attention to response task; ERP: event-related potential; S-DT: self-determination theory; ISI: interstimulus interval; DSSQ: dundee stress state questionnaire; CFQ: cognitive failures questionnaire; BP: boredom proneness; NASA-TLX: NASA task load index; IMI: intrinsic motivation inventory.

Latent classes of maladaptive personality traits exhibit differences in social processing

OBJECTIVE

Social processing (SP) deficits manifest across numerous mental disorders. However, this research has been plagued by heterogeneity and a piecemeal approach whereby skills are examined in isolation rather than as part of an integrated cognitive system. Here, we combined two dimensional frameworks of psychopathology to address these limitations.

METHOD

We utilized the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD) to distill trait-related heterogeneity within a community sample (n = 200), and the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) 'Systems for Social Processes' to comprehensively assess SP. We first applied latent class analyses (LCA) to derive AMPD-based groups and subsequently contrasted the performance of these groups on a SP test battery that we developed to align with the RDoC SP constructs.

RESULTS

Our LCA yielded four distinct subgroups. The recognizable trait profiles and psychopathological symptoms of these classes suggested they were clinically meaningful. The subgroups differed in their SP profiles: one displayed deficits regarding the self, a second displayed deficits in understanding others, a third displayed more severe deficits including affiliation problems, whilst the fourth showed normal performance.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results support the link between clusters of maladaptive personality traits and distinctive profiles of SP deficits, which may inform research on disorders involving SP dysfunctions.

Habituation of P300 in the Use of P300-based Brain-Computer Interface Spellers: Individuals With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Versus Age-Matched Controls

The P300-based brain-computer interface speller can provide motor independent communication to individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects the motor system. P300 amplitude stability is critical for operation of the P300 speller. The P300 has good long-term stability, but to our knowledge, short-term habituation in the P300 speller has not been studied. In the current study, 15 participants: 8 ALS patients and 7 age-matched healthy volunteers (HVs), used 2 versions of P300 spellers, Face speller and Flash speller, each for 30 minutes. The ALS group performed as well as the HVs in both spellers and HVs did better with the Face speller than Flash speller while the ALS group performed equally well in both spellers. Neither intra-run P300 habituation nor inter-run P300 habituation was found. The P300 speller could be a reliable communication device for individuals with ALS.

The effects of intrinsic motivation on mental fatigue

There have been many studies attempting to disentangle the relation between motivation and mental fatigue. Mental fatigue occurs after performing a demanding task for a prolonged time, and many studies have suggested that motivation can counteract the negative effects of mental fatigue on task performance. To complicate matters, most mental fatigue studies looked exclusively at the effects of extrinsic motivation but not intrinsic motivation. Individuals are said to be extrinsically motivated when they perform a task to attain rewards and avoid punishments, while they are said to be intrinsically motivated when they do for the pleasure of doing the activity. To assess whether intrinsic motivation has similar effects as extrinsic motivation, we conducted an experiment using subjective, performance, and physiological measures (heart rate variability and pupillometry). In this experiment, 28 participants solved Sudoku puzzles on a computer for three hours, with a cat video playing in the corner of the screen. The experiment consisted of 14 blocks with two alternating conditions: low intrinsic motivation and high intrinsic motivation. The main results showed that irrespective of condition, participants reported becoming fatigued over time. They performed better, invested more mental effort physiologically, and were less distracted in high-level than in low-level motivation blocks. The results suggest that similarly to extrinsic motivation, time-on-task effects are modulated by the level of intrinsic motivation: With high intrinsic motivation, people can maintain their performance over time as they seem willing to invest more effort as time progresses than in low intrinsic motivation.

Mid-Task Physical Exercise Keeps Your Mind Vigilant: Evidences From Behavioral Performance and EEG Functional Connectivity

Accumulating efforts have been made to discover effective solutions for fatigue recovery with the ultimate aim of reducing adverse consequences of mental fatigue in real life. The previously-reported behavioral benefits of physical exercise on mental fatigue recovery prompted us to investigate the restorative effect and reveal the underlying neural mechanisms. Specifically, we introduced an empirical method to investigate the beneficial effect of physical exercise on the reorganization of EEG functional connectivity (FC) in a two-session experiment where one session including a successive 30-min psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) (No-intervention session) compared to an insertion of a mid-task 15-min cycling exercise (Intervention session). EEG FC was obtained from 21 participants and quantitatively assessed via graph theoretical analysis and a classification framework. The findings demonstrated the effectiveness of exercise intervention on behavioral performance as shown in improved reaction time and response accuracy. Although we found significantly altered network alterations towards the end of experiment in both sessions, no significant differences between the two sessions and no interaction between session and time were found in EEG network topology. Further interrogation of functional connectivity through classification analysis showed decreased FC in distributed brain areas, which may lead to the significant reduction of network efficiency in both sessions. Moreover, we showed distinct patterns of FC alterations between the two sessions, indicating different information processing strategies adopted in the intervention session. In sum, these results provide some of the first quantitative insights into the complex neural mechanism of exercise intervention for fatigue recovery and lead a new direction for further application research in real-world situations.

Using the Behavior Change Wheel to Understand University Students' Prolonged Sitting Time and Identify Potential Intervention Strategies

BACKGROUND

Several national public health guidelines recommend individuals to minimize time spent in prolonged, continuous periods of sitting. Developing effective interventions to break up sitting, however, requires in-depth understanding of the behavior as well as identification of the key elements that need to be targeted to achieve change. This qualitative study focused on university students-a highly sedentary group-with the aim of the following: (i) exploring the factors influencing prolonged sitting time in this population; and (ii) identifying potential avenues for future intervention, based on the Behavior Change Wheel framework.

METHOD

Eighteen ambulatory undergraduate students participated in semi-structured one-on-one interviews, using the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, Behavior (COM-B) model and the complementary Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) as the theoretical framework. Data were analyzed using a directed content analysis approach, followed by inductive thematic analysis.

RESULTS

All COM-B components and eight TDF domains were identified as relevant for influencing the target behavior.

CONCLUSION

Findings suggest that interventions and policies aimed at reducing prolonged sitting time in university students should (i) raise awareness about negative health implications; (ii) address productivity concerns; (iii) provide training in behavioral self-regulation; (iv) use external reminders; (v) implement habit formation techniques; and (vi) promote social acceptability for breaking up sitting.

Cue Utilization Differentiates Performance in the Management of Interruptions

OBJECTIVE

To examine the role of cue utilization in the management of interruptions during a high workload, rail control simulation.

BACKGROUND

High-risk, high-consequence environments are characterized by cognitively demanding, time-critical activities, in which operators are required to manage frequent interruptions under conditions of high workload. Interruptions are deleterious to performance as they impose excessive cognitive demand on limited working memory resources, thereby depleting residual resources for the primary task. Cue utilization may enable superior performance in managing interruptions through efficiencies gained by the application of implicit patterns stored in long-term memory.

METHOD

Two experiments were conducted. In Experiment 1, 46 university students undertook an assessment of cue utilization and subsequently engaged in a high workload, simulated rail control task while managing multiple interruptive tasks. Experiment 2 replicated and extended Experiment 1, wherein 52 university students completed a measure of cue utilization and engaged in a high workload, simulated rail control task while managing multiple interruptions and breaks.

RESULTS

The analyses revealed that participants who demonstrated a greater capacity for cue utilization also demonstrated a reduced loss of performance following interruptions.

CONCLUSION

The outcomes suggest a relationship between a greater capacity for cue utilization and superior performance in the management of interruptions in high workload conditions.

APPLICATION

Assessments of cue utilization may assist in the selection and training of operators in high-consequence, high-risk environments, to ensure efficient and accurate performance during the management of interruptions.

Dissociable Effects of Reward on P300 and EEG Spectra Under Conditions of High vs. Low Vigilance During a Selective Visual Attention Task

The influence of motivation on selective visual attention in states of high vs. low vigilance is poorly understood. To explore the possible differences in the influence of motivation on behavioral performance and neural activity in high and low vigilance levels, we conducted a prolonged 2 h 20 min flanker task and provided monetary rewards during the 20- to 40- and 100- to 120-min intervals of task performance. Both the behavioral and electrophysiological measures were modulated by prolonged task engagement. Moreover, the effect of reward was different in high vs. low vigilance states. The monetary reward increased accuracy and decreased the reaction time (RT) and number of omitted responses in the low but not in the high vigilance state. The fatigue-related decrease in P300 amplitude recovered to its level in the high vigilance state by manipulating motivation, whereas the fatigue-related increase in P300 latency was not modulated by reward. Additionally, the fatigue-related increase in event-related spectral power at 1-4 Hz was sensitive to vigilance decrement and reward. However, the spectral power at 4-8 Hz was only affected by the decrease in vigilance. These electrophysiological measures were not influenced by motivation in the state of high vigilance. Our results suggest that neural processing capacity, but not the timing of processing, is sensitive to motivation. These findings also imply that the fatigue-related impairments in behavioral performance and neural activity underlying selective visual attention only partly recover after manipulating motivation. Furthermore, our results provide evidence for the dissociable neural mechanisms underlying the fatigue-related decrease vs. reward-related increase in attentional resources.

Sleep deprivation, vigilant attention, and brain function: a review

Vigilant attention is a major component of a wide range of cognitive performance tasks. Vigilant attention is impaired by sleep deprivation and restored after rest breaks and (more enduringly) after sleep. The temporal dynamics of vigilant attention deficits across hours and days are driven by physiologic, sleep regulatory processes-a sleep homeostatic process and a circadian process. There is also evidence of a slower, allostatic process, which modulates the sleep homeostatic setpoint across days and weeks and is responsible for cumulative deficits in vigilant attention across consecutive days of sleep restriction. There are large inter-individual differences in vulnerability to sleep loss, and these inter-individual differences constitute a pronounced human phenotype. However, this phenotype is multi-dimensional; vulnerability in terms of vigilant attention impairment can be dissociated from vulnerability in terms of other cognitive processes such as attentional control. The vigilance decrement, or time-on-task effect-a decline in performance across the duration of a vigilant attention task-is characterized by progressively increasing response variability, which is exacerbated by sleep loss. This variability, while crucial to understanding the impact of sleep deprivation on performance in safety-critical tasks, is not well explained by top-down regulatory mechanisms, such as the homeostatic and circadian processes. A bottom-up, neuronal pathway-dependent mechanism involving use-dependent, local sleep may be the main driver of response variability. This bottom-up mechanism may also explain the dissociation between cognitive processes with regard to trait vulnerability to sleep loss.

Effects of Rest-Break on Mental Fatigue Recovery Determined by a Novel Temporal Brain Network Analysis of Dynamic Functional Connectivity

Mental fatigue is growingly considered to be associated with functional brain dysconnectivity. Although conventional wisdom suggests that rest break is an effective countermeasure, the underlying neural mechanisms and how they modulate fatigue-related brain dysconnectivity is largely unknown. Here, we introduce an empirical method to examine the reorganization of dynamic functional connectivity (FC) in a two-session experiment where one session including a mid-task break (Rest) compared to a successive task design in the other session (No-rest). Temporal brain networks were estimated from 20 participants and the spatiotemporal architecture was examined using our newly developed temporal efficiency analysis framework. We showed that taking a mid-task break leads to a restorative effect towards the end of experiment instead of immediate post-rest behaviour benefits. More importantly, we revealed a potential neural basis of our behaviour observation: the reduced spatiotemporal global integrity of temporal brain network in No-rest session was significantly improved with the break opportunity in the last task block of Rest session. Overall, we provided novel evidence to support beneficial effect of rest breaks in both behaviour performance and brain function. Moreover, these findings extended prior static FC studies of mental fatigue and highlight that altered dynamic FC may underlie cognitive fatigue.

The Role of Motivation as a Factor in Mental Fatigue

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to assess motivation as a factor in mental fatigue using subjective, performance, and physiological measures.

BACKGROUND

Sustained performance on a mentally demanding task can decrease over time. This decrement has two possible causes: a decline in available resources, meaning that performance cannot be sustained, and decrement in motivation, meaning a decline in willingness to sustain performance. However, so far, few experimental paradigms have effectively and continuously manipulated motivation, which is essential to understand its effect on mental fatigue.

METHOD

Twenty participants performed a working memory task with 14 blocks, which alternated between reward and nonreward for 2.5 hr. In the reward blocks, monetary rewards could be gained for good performance. Besides reaction time and accuracy, we used physiological measures (heart rate variability, pupil diameter, eyeblink, eye movements with a video distractor) and subjective measures of fatigue and mental effort.

RESULTS

Participants reported becoming fatigued over time and invested more mental effort in the reward blocks. Even though they reported fatigue, their accuracy in the reward blocks remained constant but declined in the nonreward blocks. Furthermore, in the nonreward blocks, participants became more distractable, invested less cognitive effort, blinked more often, and made fewer saccades. These results showed an effect of motivation on mental fatigue.

CONCLUSION

The evidence suggests that motivation is an important factor in explaining the effects of mental fatigue.

Computational Modeling of the Effects of Sleep Deprivation on the Vigilance Decrement

OBJECTIVE

We developed a computational model of the effects of sleep deprivation on the vigilance decrement by employing the methods of system dynamics modeling.

BACKGROUND

Situations that require sustained attention for a prolonged duration can cause a decline in cognitive performance, the so-called vigilance decrement. One factor that should influence the vigilance decrement is fatigue in the form of sleep deprivation.

METHOD

We employed the methods of system dynamics modeling (numerical-integration techniques for modeling complex feedback systems) to create a computational model of the vigilance decrement. We then simulated the computational effects of sleep deprivation on the behavior of that model, using empirical data obtained from the literature for calibrating such effects.

RESULTS

Sleep deprivation of 2 hr over a 14-day period should produce an additional decline of 9% in detection performance over that found with the typical vigilance decrement, whereas 4 hr of sleep deprivation over 14 days should produce an additional decline of 14% in detection performance.

CONCLUSION

With respect to dual-process theory, it is through its deleterious effects on analytical cognition that sleep deprivation should impact the vigilance decrement.

APPLICATION

Such computational modeling may be advantageous for human-machine teaming by theoretically allowing a future autonomous software agent to anticipate the decline of human performance and compensate accordingly.

Short-term effects of video gaming on brain response during working memory performance

Breaks filled with different break activities often interrupt cognitive performance in everyday life. Previous studies have reported that both enhancing and deteriorating effects on challenging ongoing tasks such as working memory updating, depend on the type of break activity. However, neural mechanisms of these break-related alterations in working memory performance have not been studied, to date. Therefore, we conducted a brain imaging study to identify the neurobiological correlates of effects on the n-back working memory task related to different break activities. Before performing the n-back task in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, young adults were exposed to break activities in the MRI scanner involving (i) eyes-open resting, (ii) listening to music, and (iii) playing the video game “Angry Birds”. Heart rate was measured by a pulse oximeter during the experiment. We found that increased heart rate during gaming as well as decreased relaxation levels after a video gaming break was related to poorer n-back task performance, as compared to listening to music. On the neural level, video gaming reduced supplementary motor area activation during working memory performance. These results may indicate that video gaming during a break may affect working memory performance by interfering with arousal state and frontal cognitive control functions.

Cusp catastrophe models for cognitive workload and fatigue in teams

The use of two cusp catastrophe models has been effective for untangling the effects of cognitive workload, fatigue, and other complications on the performance of individuals. This study is the first to use the two models to separate workload and fatigue effects on team performance. In an experiment involving an emergency response simulation, 360 undergraduates were organized into 44 teams. Workload was varied by team size, number of opponents, and time pressure. The cusp models for workload and fatigue were more accurate for describing trends in team performance criteria compared to linear alternatives. Individual differences in elasticity-rigidity were less important than subjective workload and experimental conditions as control variables. Fluid intelligence within the team was an important compensatory ability in the fatigue model. Results further supported the nonlinear paradigm for the assessment of cognitive workload and fatigue and demonstrated its effectiveness for understanding team phenomena.

The Effects of Event Rate on a Cognitive Vigilance Task

OBJECTIVE

The present experiment sought to examine the effects of event rate on a cognitive vigilance task.

BACKGROUND

Vigilance, or the ability to sustain attention, is an integral component of human factors research. Vigilance task difficulty has previously been manipulated through increasing event rate. However, most research in this paradigm has utilized a sensory-based task, whereas little work has focused on these effects in relation to a cognitive-based task.

METHOD

In sum, 84 participants completed a cognitive vigilance task that contained either 24 events per minute (low event rate condition) or 40 events per minute (high event rate condition). Performance was measured through the proportion of hits, false alarms, mean response time, and signal detection analyses (i.e., sensitivity and response bias). Additionally, measures of perceived workload and stress were collected.

RESULTS

The results indicated that event rate significantly affected performance, such that participants who completed the low event rate task achieved significantly better performance in terms of correction detections and false alarms. Furthermore, the cognitive vigil utilized in the present study produced performance decrements comparable to traditional sensory vigilance tasks.

CONCLUSION

Event rate affects cognitive vigilance tasks in a similar manner as traditional sensory vigilance tasks, such that a direct relation between performance and level of event rate was established.

APPLICATION

Cognitive researchers wishing to manipulate task difficulty in their experiments may use event rate presentation as one avenue to achieve this result.

Does Depleting Self-Control Result in Poorer Vigilance Performance?

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether depleting self-control prior to vigilance results in a steeper vigilance decrement.

BACKGROUND

The resource-control theory of vigilance asserts that an inherent bias toward self-generated mind-wandering draws attentional resources away from the primary task. This study seeks to test whether depleting self-control, the potential mechanism of self-generated mind-wandering, results in poorer vigilance performance.

METHOD

This study featured a between-subjects design where participants either completed a typing task that depleted self-control resources or a standard typing task that did not require self-control before performing a vigilance task. In the self-control depletion condition, participants typed a passage while omitting any "e" and "space" keys. In the standard typing task, participants typed the same passage without skipping any keys. Following both typing tasks, participants in both conditions completed an identical 12-min vigilance task.

RESULTS

Results demonstrated decreased accuracy and increased reaction times over time for both groups. Depleting self-control did not result in significant differences in accuracy, reaction time, nor a steeper vigilance decrement.

CONCLUSION

These results provide evidence against resource-control theory and self-control as an explanation for vigilance, and provide further support for cognitive resource theory as the predominant explanation for vigilance impairments.

APPLICATION

It is still unclear exactly what constitutes a "resource." A better understanding of the nature of these resources can help researchers and practitioners identify how they can be replenished, which could enhance human performance in situations requiring vigilance such as baggage screening.

Is Semantic Vigilance Impaired by Narrative Memory Demands? Theory and Applications

OBJECTIVE

Two verbal tasks were utilized in a dual-task paradigm to explore performance theories and prior dual-tasking results.

BACKGROUND

Both the decline in vigilance performance over time, or vigilance decrement, and limited dual-tasking ability may be explained by limited mental resources. Resource theorists would recommend removing task demands to avoid cognitive overload, while mindlessness theorists may recommend adding engaging task demands to prevent boredom. Prior research demonstrated interference between a verbal free recall and semantic vigilance task, but exploring tasks with greater ecological validity is necessary.

METHOD

A narrative memory task and semantic vigilance task were performed individually and simultaneously. Relative performance impairments were compared to a previous dual-task pairing.

RESULTS

The semantic vigilance task caused performance degradation to the narrative memory task and vice versa. A vigilance decrement was not observed, and the interference was to a lesser extent than when the semantic vigilance task was paired with a free recall task.

CONCLUSION

Resource theory was supported, though passive learning effects during a semantic vigilance task with novel stimuli may prevent a vigilance decrement. The interference was less than that of a previous similar dual-task pairing, but even tasks as routine as listening to a conversation or story can impair other task performance.

APPLICATION

A better understanding of resource theory and dual-task performance outcomes can help inform feasible task loads and improve efficiency and safety of operators in high-risk and other professions.

Sustaining attention for a prolonged period of time increases temporal variability in cortical responses

Our ability to stay focused is limited: prolonged performance of a task typically results in mental fatigue and decrements in performance over time. This so-called vigilance decrement has been attributed to depletion of attentional resources, though other factors such as reductions in motivation likely also play a role. In this study, we examined three electroencephalography (EEG) markers of attentional control, to elucidate which stage of attentional processing is most affected by time-on-task and motivation. To elicit the vigilance decrement, participants performed a sustained attention task for 80 min without breaks. After 60 min, participants were motivated by an unexpected monetary incentive to increase performance in the final 20 min. We found that task performance and self-reported motivation declined rapidly, reaching stable levels well before the motivation manipulation was introduced. Thereafter, motivation increased back up to the initial level, and remained there for the final 20 min. While task performance also increased, it did not return to the initial level, and fell to the lowest level overall during the final 10 min. This pattern of performance changes was mirrored by the trial-to-trial consistency of the phase of theta (3-7 Hz) oscillations, an index of the variability in timing of the neural response to the stimulus. As task performance decreased, temporal variability increased, suggesting that attentional stability is crucial for sustained attention performance. The effects of attention on our two other EEG measures-early P1/N1 event-related potentials (ERPs) and pre-stimulus alpha (9-14 Hz) power-did not change with time-on-task or motivation. In sum, these findings show that the vigilance decrement is accompanied by a decline in only some facets of attentional control, which cannot be fully brought back online by increases in motivation. The vigilance decrement might thus not occur due to a single cause, but is likely multifactorial in origin.

Can sustained attention adapt to prior cognitive effort? An evidence from experimental study

According to the limited resources paradigm, prior cognitive effort should result in a temporary depletion of available cognitive resources (Kahneman, 1973). Some recent evidence however has proved an opposite effect of increment in the availability of cognitive resources as a function of prior cognitive effort. In the current study the follow-up effect of cognitive effort on sustained attention was examined. Eighty-nine participants took part in the experiment. The cognitive load was manipulated between subjects using three versions of the DIVA Task (intensive warming-up condition, moderate warming-up condition and the control one). Following the experimental manipulation, the availability of cognitive resources during vigilance task was checked. Some significant effects of experimental manipulation were observed. First, in the context of overall task performance, subjects from the intensive warming-up condition obtained lower total errors rate than subjects from the control one. Some moderate effect of cognitive warming-up on time-on-task performance was also observed, although it was isolated to false alarms rate. Those results, tentatively suggesting the occurrence of the cognitive warming-up effect in vigilance performance, are then discussed. PSYCINFO CLASSIFICATION CATEGORIES AND CODES: 2300 Human Experimental Psychology: 2346 Attention.

Vigilance all the way down: Vigilance decrement in jumping spiders resembles that of humans

The inability to maintain signal detection performance with time on task, or vigilance decrement, is widely studied in people. Despite suggestions that limitations in sustained attention may be a fundamental characteristic of animal cognition, there has been limited research on the vigilance decrement in other animals. We conducted two experiments to explore vigilance in jumping spiders. Our first experiment established that the vigilance decrement, decline in signal detections with time on task, occurs in these spiders in laboratory settings. Our second experiment tested whether this phenomenon was simply the result of habituation of sensory receptors by employing two dishabituation manipulations. Neither dishabituation manipulation appeared to have an effect. Thus, the vigilance decrement in spiders appears to be due to something more than simply peripheral sensory habituation. We suggest that limitations in sustained attention may be a widespread phenomenon among animals that needs addressing when theorising about the vigilance decrement.

Independent Coactors May Improve Performance and Lower Workload: Viewing Vigilance Under Social Facilitation

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of an independent coactor on vigilance task performance. It was hypothesized that the presence of an independent coactor would improve performance in terms of the proportion of false alarms while also increasing perceived workload and stress.

BACKGROUND

Vigilance, or the ability to maintain attention for extended periods, is of great interest to human factors psychologists. Substantial work has focused on improving vigilance task performance, typically through motivational interventions. Of interest to vigilance researchers is the application of social facilitation as a means of enhancing vigilance. Social facilitation seeks to explain how social presence may improve performance.

METHOD

A total of 100 participants completed a 24-min vigil either alone or in the presence of an independent (confederate) coactor. Participants completed measures of perceived workload and stress.

RESULTS

The results indicated that performance (i.e., proportion of false alarms) was improved for those who completed the vigil in the presence of an independent coactor. Interestingly, perceived workload was actually lower for those who completed the vigil in the presence of an independent coactor, although perceived stress was not affected by the manipulation.

CONCLUSION

Authors of future research should extend these findings to other forms of social facilitation and examine vigilance task performance in social contexts in order to determine the utility of social presence for improving vigilance.

APPLICATION

The use of coactors may be an avenue for organizations to consider utilizing to improve performance because of its relative cost-effectiveness and easy implementation.

Stress Outcomes of Four Types of Perceived Interruptions

Objective We sought to define and measure four types of perceived interruptions and to examine their relationships with stress outcomes. Background Interruptions have been defined and measured in a variety of inconsistent ways. No study has simultaneously examined the subjective experience of all types of interruptions. Method First, we provide a synthesized definition and model of interruptions that aligns interruptions along two qualities: origin and degree of multitasking. Second, we create and validate a self-report measure of these four types of perceived interruptions within two samples (working undergraduate students and working engineers). Last, we correlate this measure with self-reported psychological and physical stress outcomes. Results Our results support the four-factor model of interruptions. Results further support the link between each of the four types of interruptions (intrusions, breaks, distractions, and a specific type of ruminations, discrepancies) and stress outcomes. Specifically, results suggest that distractions explain a unique portion of variance in stress outcomes above and beyond the shared variance explained by intrusions, breaks, and discrepancies. Conclusion The synthesized four-factor model of interruptions is an adequate representation of the overall construct of interruptions. Further, perceived interruptions can be measured and are significantly related to stress outcomes. Application Measuring interruptions by observation can be intrusive and resource intensive. Additionally, some types of interruptions may be internal and therefore unobservable. Our survey measure offers a practical alternative method for practitioners and researchers interested in the outcomes of interruptions, especially stress outcomes.

Change deafness, dual-task performance, and domain-specific expertise

In a change deafness manipulation using radio broadcasts of sporting events, we show that change deafness to a switch in talker increases when listeners are asked to monitor both lexical and indexical information for change. We held semantic content constant and demonstrated a change deafness rate of 85% when participants listened to the home team broadcast of a hockey game that switched midway to the away team broadcast with a different announcer. In Study 2, participants were asked to monitor either the indexical characteristics ( listen for a change in announcer) or both the indexical and semantic components ( listen for a change in announcer or a goal scored). Monitoring both components led to significantly greater change deafness even though both groups were alerted to the possibility of a change in announcer. In Study 3, we changed both the indexical and the semantic components when the broadcast switched from a hockey game to a basketball game. We found a negative correlation between sports expertise and change deafness. The results are discussed in terms of the nature of perceptual representation and the influence of expertise and evolution on attention allocation.

Correlation of P300 ERPs with visual stimuli and its application to vigilance detection

Vigilance or sustained attention is defined as the ability to maintain concentrated attention over prolonged time periods. It is an important aspect in industries such as aerospace and nuclear power, which involve tremendous man-machine interaction and where safety of any component/system or environment as a whole is extremely crucial. Many methods for vigilance detection, based on biological and behavioral characteristics, have been proposed in the literature. Nevertheless, the existing methods are associated with high time complexity, unhandy devices and incur huge equipment overhead. This paper aims to pave an alternative solution to the existing techniques using brain computing interface (BCI). EEG device being a non-invasive BCI technique is popular in many applications. In this work, we have utilized P300 component of ERPs of EEG signal for vigilance detection task as it can be detected fast and accurately. Through this work, we aim to establish the correlation between P300 ERP and vigilance. We have performed a number of experiments to substantiate the correctness of our proposal and have also proposed an approach to measure the vigilance level.