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Hemmerich K, Lupiáñez J, Martín-Arévalo E. HD-tDCS mitigates the executive vigilance decrement only under high cognitive demands. Sci Rep 2024; 14:7865. [PMID: 38570619 PMCID: PMC10991279 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-57917-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Maintaining vigilance is essential for many everyday tasks, but over time, our ability to sustain it inevitably decreases, potentially entailing severe consequences. High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) has proven to be useful for studying and improving vigilance. This study explores if/how cognitive load affects the mitigatory effects of HD-tDCS on the vigilance decrement. Participants (N = 120) completed a modified ANTI-Vea task (single or dual load) while receiving either sham or anodal HD-tDCS over the right posterior parietal cortex (rPPC). This data was compared with data from prior studies (N = 120), where participants completed the standard ANTI-Vea task (triple load task), combined with the same HD-tDCS protocol. Against our hypotheses, both the single and dual load conditions showed a significant executive vigilance (EV) decrement, which was not affected by the application of rPPC HD-tDCS. On the contrary, the most cognitively demanding task (triple task) showed the greatest EV decrement; importantly, it was also with the triple task that a significant mitigatory effect of the HD-tDCS intervention was observed. The present study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the specific effects of HD-tDCS on the vigilance decrement considering cognitive demands. This can ultimately contribute to reconciling heterogeneous effects observed in past research and fine-tuning its future clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klara Hemmerich
- Department of Experimental Psychology, and Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Campus de Cartuja, s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain.
| | - Juan Lupiáñez
- Department of Experimental Psychology, and Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Campus de Cartuja, s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain
| | - Elisa Martín-Arévalo
- Department of Experimental Psychology, and Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Campus de Cartuja, s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain.
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2
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Taylor-Phillips S, Jenkinson D, Stinton C, Kunar MA, Watson DG, Freeman K, Mansbridge A, Wallis MG, Kearins O, Hudson S, Clarke A. Fatigue and vigilance in medical experts detecting breast cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2309576121. [PMID: 38437559 PMCID: PMC10945845 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2309576121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sian Taylor-Phillips
- Division of Health Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, CoventryCV4 7AL, United Kingdom
| | - David Jenkinson
- Division of Health Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, CoventryCV4 7AL, United Kingdom
| | - Chris Stinton
- Division of Health Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, CoventryCV4 7AL, United Kingdom
| | - Melina A. Kunar
- Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, CoventryCV4 7AL, United Kingdom
| | - Derrick G. Watson
- Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, CoventryCV4 7AL, United Kingdom
| | - Karoline Freeman
- Division of Health Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, CoventryCV4 7AL, United Kingdom
| | - Alice Mansbridge
- Division of Health Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, CoventryCV4 7AL, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew G. Wallis
- Cambridge Breast Unit and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, CambridgeCB2 0QQ, United Kingdom
| | - Olive Kearins
- Screening Quality Assurance Service, National Health Service (NHS) England, BirminghamB2 4HQ, United Kingdom
| | - Sue Hudson
- Peel and Schriek Consulting Limited, London NW3 4QG, United Kingdom
| | - Aileen Clarke
- Division of Health Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, CoventryCV4 7AL, United Kingdom
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Kosovicheva A, Wolfe JM, Wolfe B. Taking prevalence effects on the road: Rare hazards are often missed. Psychon Bull Rev 2023; 30:212-223. [PMID: 35953668 PMCID: PMC9918605 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-022-02159-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Previous work has shown that, in many visual search and detection tasks, observers frequently miss rare but important targets, like weapons in bags or abnormalities in radiological images. These prior studies of the low-prevalence effect (LPE) use static stimuli and typically permitted observers to search at will. In contrast, many real-world tasks, like looking for dangerous behavior on the road, only afford observers a brief glimpse of a complex, changing scene before they must make a decision. Can the LPE be a factor in in dynamic, time-limited moments of real driving? To test this, we developed a novel hazard-detection task that preserves much of the perceptual richness and complexity of hazard detection in the real world, while allowing for experimental control over event prevalence. Observers viewed brief video clips of road scenes recorded from dashboard cameras and reported whether they saw a hazardous event. In separate sessions, the prevalence of these events was either high (50% of videos) or low (4%). Under low prevalence, observers missed hazards at more than twice the rate observed in the high-prevalence condition. Follow-up experiments demonstrate that this elevation of miss rate at low prevalence persists when participants were allowed to correct their responses, increases as hazards become increasingly rare (down to 1% prevalence) and is resistant to simple cognitive intervention (participant prebriefing). Together, our results demonstrate that the LPE generalizes to complex perceptual decisions in dynamic natural scenes, such as driving, where observers must monitor and respond to rare hazards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Kosovicheva
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada.
| | - Jeremy M Wolfe
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Benjamin Wolfe
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada
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Tari B, Edgar C, Persaud P, Dalton C, Heath M. The unidirectional prosaccade switch-cost: no evidence for the passive dissipation of an oculomotor task-set inertia. Exp Brain Res 2022; 240:2061-2071. [PMID: 35727365 PMCID: PMC9211787 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-022-06394-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive flexibility is a core component of executive function and supports the ability to ‘switch’ between different tasks. Our group has examined the cost associated with switching between a prosaccade (i.e., a standard task requiring a saccade to veridical target location) and an antisaccade (i.e., a non-standard task requiring a saccade mirror-symmetrical to veridical target) in predictable (i.e., AABB) and unpredictable (e.g., AABAB…) switching paradigms. Results have shown that reaction times (RTs) for a prosaccade preceded by an antisaccade (i.e., task-switch trial) are longer than when preceded by its same task-type (i.e., task-repeat trial), whereas RTs for antisaccade task-switch and task-repeat trials do not differ. The asymmetrical switch-cost has been attributed to an antisaccade task-set inertia that proactively delays a subsequent prosaccade (i.e., the unidirectional prosaccade switch-cost). A salient question arising from previous work is whether the antisaccade task-set inertia passively dissipates or persistently influences prosaccade RTs. Accordingly, participants completed separate AABB (i.e., A = prosaccade, B = antisaccade) task-switching conditions wherein the preparation interval for each trial was ‘short’ (1000–2000 ms; i.e., the timeframe used in previous work), ‘medium’ (3000–4000 ms) and ‘long’ (5000–6000 ms). Results demonstrated a reliable prosaccade switch-cost for each condition (ps < 0.02) and two one-sided test statistics indicated that switch cost magnitudes were within an equivalence boundary (ps < 0.05). Hence, null and equivalence tests demonstrate that an antisaccade task-set inertia does not passively dissipate and represents a temporally persistent feature of oculomotor control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Tari
- School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Chloe Edgar
- School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Priyanka Persaud
- School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Connor Dalton
- School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Matthew Heath
- School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada. .,Canadian Centre for Activity and Aging, The University of Western Ontario, 1201 Western Rd, London, ON, N6G 1H1, Canada. .,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, The University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada.
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Chan LKH, Chan WWL. Target-rate effect in continuous visual search. Cogn Res Princ Implic 2022; 7:36. [PMID: 35524887 PMCID: PMC9077982 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-022-00392-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
From infrared body temperature surveillance to lifeguarding, real-life visual search is usually continuous and comes with rare targets. Previous research has examined realistic search tasks involving separate slides (such as baggage screening and radiography), but search tasks that require continuous monitoring have generally received less attention. In this study, we investigated whether continuous visual search would display a target-rate effect similar to the low-prevalence effect (LPE) in regular visual search. We designed a continuous detection task for a target feature (e.g., a green color) among items of continuously and gradually changing features (e.g., other colors). In four experiments, we demonstrated target-rate effects in terms of slower hit response times (RTs) and higher miss rates when targets were rare. Similar to regular search, target-rate effects were also observed for relative frequencies across two target features. Taken together, these results suggest a target-rate effect in continuous visual search, and its behavioral characteristics are generally similar to those of the LPE in regular visual search.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louis K H Chan
- Psychology Unit, School of Continuing Education, Hong Kong Baptist University, Shek Mun, Hong Kong.
| | - Winnie W L Chan
- Department of Counselling and Psychology, Hong Kong Shue Yan University, North Point, Hong Kong
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Riley EA, Owora A. Relationship Between Physiologically Measured Attention and Behavioral Task Engagement in Persons With Chronic Aphasia. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2020; 63:1430-1445. [PMID: 32324437 DOI: 10.1044/2020_jslhr-19-00016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Purpose Persons with aphasia (PWAs) have been shown to have impaired attention skills that may interfere with their ability to successfully participate in speech and language therapy. Fluctuations in attention can be detected using physiological measures such as electroencephalography (EEG), but these measures can be impractical for clinical use. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate observable behavioral signs of attention as a means of measuring within-session fluctuations in attention by comparing behavioral ratings to physiological changes. Other aims were to understand the relationship between observable behaviors and task performance and to determine whether syntactic complexity influences behavioral attention. Method Ten PWAs and 10 neurologically healthy adults underwent a sentence-reading task with 45 active and 45 passive sentences while video/audio and EEG data were recorded continuously. EEG data for each trial were classified into one of four levels of attention using a classification algorithm (Berka et al., 2004), and video/audio data were scored for accuracy and behavioral engagement by two trained speech-language pathologist students using a behavioral rating scale of inattention (Whyte et al., 1996). Results Results showed that behavioral engagement was significantly correlated with task performance, with higher engagement scores associated with fewer errors. Behavioral engagement did not differ based on syntactic complexity for either group, but PWAs had significantly lower behavioral engagement scores when they were in lower/distracted states of physiologically measured vigilant attention. Conclusion Behavioral observation may provide an alternative means of detecting clinically significant lapses in attention during aphasia therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellyn A Riley
- Aphasia Lab, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, College of Arts & Sciences, Syracuse University, NY
| | - Arthur Owora
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Indiana University, Bloomington
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Cutting JE, Armstrong KL. Large-scale narrative events in popular cinema. COGNITIVE RESEARCH-PRINCIPLES AND IMPLICATIONS 2019; 4:34. [PMID: 31535277 PMCID: PMC6751234 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-019-0188-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2019] [Accepted: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Most experiments in event perception and cognition have focused on events that are only a few minutes in length, and the previous research on popular movies is consistent with this temporal scope. Scenes are generally between a few seconds and a few minutes in duration. But popular movies also offer an opportunity to explore larger events-variously called acts, major parts, or large-scale parts by film theorists-in which the boundaries often have few if any unique physical attributes. These units tend to be between about 20 to 35 min in duration. The present study had observers watch seven movies they had not seen before and, over the course of several days and with ample justifications, reflect on them, and then segment them into two to six parts with the aid of a running description of the narrative. Results showed consistency across viewers' segmentations, consistency with film-theoretic segmentations, and superiority over internet subjects who had access to only the scenarios used by the movie viewers. Thus, these results suggest that there are large scale events in movies; they support a view that their events are organized meronomically, layered with units of different sizes and with boundaries shared across layers; and they suggest that these larger-scale events can be discerned through cognitive, not perceptual, means.
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Affiliation(s)
- James E Cutting
- Department of Psychology Uris Hall, Cornell University, 109 Tower Road, Ithaca, NY, 14853-7601, USA.
| | - Kacie L Armstrong
- Department of Psychology Uris Hall, Cornell University, 109 Tower Road, Ithaca, NY, 14853-7601, USA
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Epling SL, Edgar GK, Russell PN, Helton WS. Is Semantic Vigilance Impaired by Narrative Memory Demands? Theory and Applications. HUMAN FACTORS 2019; 61:451-461. [PMID: 30325648 DOI: 10.1177/0018720818805602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Graham K Edgar
- University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham, United Kingdom
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Phelps A, Callen AL, Marcovici P, Naeger DM, Mongan J, Webb EM. Can Radiologists Learn From Airport Baggage Screening?: A Survey About Using Fictional Patients for Quality Assurance. Acad Radiol 2018; 25:226-234. [PMID: 29122472 DOI: 10.1016/j.acra.2017.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2017] [Revised: 08/29/2017] [Accepted: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES For both airport baggage screeners and radiologists, low target prevalence is associated with low detection rate, a phenomenon known as "prevalence effect." In airport baggage screening, the target prevalence is artificially increased with fictional weapons that are digitally superimposed on real baggage. This strategy improves the detection rate of real weapons and also allows airport supervisors to monitor screener performance. A similar strategy using fictional patients could be applied in radiology. The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to review the psychophysics literature regarding low target prevalence and (2) to survey radiologists' attitudes toward using fictional patients as a quality assurance tool. MATERIALS AND METHODS We reviewed the psychophysics literature on low target prevalence and airport x-ray baggage screeners. An online survey was e-mailed to all members of the Association of University Radiologists to determine their attitudes toward using fictional patients in radiology. RESULTS Of the 1503 Association of University Radiologists member recipients, there were 153 respondents (10% response rate). When asked whether the use of fictional patients was a good idea, the responses were as follows: disagree (44%), neutral (25%), and agree (31%). The most frequent concern was the time taken away from doing clinical work (89% of the respondents). CONCLUSIONS The psychophysics literature supports the use of fictional targets to mitigate the prevalence effect. However, the use of fictional patients is not a popular idea among academic radiologists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Phelps
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, 1975 4th Street, San Francisco, CA 94158.
| | - Andrew L Callen
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, 1975 4th Street, San Francisco, CA 94158
| | - Peter Marcovici
- Department of Radiology, Kaiser Permanente Northwest, Portland, Oregon
| | - David M Naeger
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, 1975 4th Street, San Francisco, CA 94158
| | - John Mongan
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, 1975 4th Street, San Francisco, CA 94158
| | - Emily M Webb
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, 1975 4th Street, San Francisco, CA 94158
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Laurie-Rose C, Curtindale LM, Frey M. Measuring Sustained Attention and Perceived Workload. HUMAN FACTORS 2017; 59:76-90. [PMID: 28146678 DOI: 10.1177/0018720816684063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE We examined the effects of spatial uncertainty, field dependence/independence (FD/I), and sex on vigilance performance and perceived workload in elementary school children. BACKGROUND Building on previous work in which children demonstrated their ability to evaluate workload, we tested whether spatial-uncertainty manipulations in a vigilance task would elicit in children the same deleterious effects on performance and workload as it does with adults. We also examined individual difference effects associated with FD/I and sex to determine their influence on both performance and workload. METHOD In the low-uncertainty task, stimuli appeared in the center of the computer screen; in the high-uncertainty task, they appeared in one of the four quadrants of the screen. Neutral events consisted of uppercase letter strings. Critical signals consisted of a single lowercase letter among uppercase letters. Following each vigil, children completed a workload assessment via a modified version of the NASA Task Load Index. RESULTS Children showed lower perceptual sensitivity, greater response latency variability (RTSD), and a higher response criterion in the uncertain display condition. Workload scores reflected these performance differences. Field-dependent children showed lower perceptual sensitivity and greater RTSD than did field-independent children. The two groups exhibited differing workload profiles. Despite no objective performance differences, boys reported greater workload than girls. CONCLUSION The scale demonstrated sensitivity and diagnosticity with regard to both the task variable and individual differences. APPLICATION These findings contribute to the emerging field of "educational ergonomics" and indicate that appropriate assessment tools might identify children who are experiencing increased workload.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE We examined the impact task interruptions of differing qualitative and quantitative load have on visuospatial vigilance sensitivity. BACKGROUND The vigilance decrement and attempts to develop countermeasures to the decrement is one of the most important human factors issues. There is an ongoing debate between those who interpret the increase in the rate of failures to detect signals over time as being due to objective task monotony or task underload and those who interpret this increased failure proneness as being predominately due to cognitive-resource depletion and task overload. METHOD Participants were assigned at random to one of six interruptions: Participants were given a complete rest (rest); participants completed a 1-back verbal working-memory (WM) task, a 3-back verbal WM task, a 1-back spatial WM task, or a 3-back spatial WM task; or participants performed the primary vigilance task (continuous). RESULTS Postinterruption performance was best for rest and worst for continuous. A resource theory perspective led us to make two possible predictions of relative interruption effect orders of the six conditions out of 720 possible orderings. We found one of the two orders. CONCLUSION Overall, the vigilance sensitivity decrement appears to be due to the recurring use of particular cognitive resources, and resource theorists should explore this more extensively in the future. APPLICATION Countermeasures for the vigilance decrement should be based on clear cognitive-resource considerations. Rest is the best countermeasure. Intervening tasks should be chosen that minimize resource-demand overlap with the vigilance task.
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Funke GJ, Warm JS, Baldwin CL, Garcia A, Funke ME, Dillard MB, Finomore VS, Matthews G, Greenlee ET. The Independence and Interdependence of Coacting Observers in Regard to Performance Efficiency, Workload, and Stress in a Vigilance Task. HUMAN FACTORS 2016; 58:915-926. [PMID: 27150529 DOI: 10.1177/0018720816646657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2015] [Accepted: 03/14/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE We investigated performance, workload, and stress in groups of paired observers who performed a vigilance task in a coactive (independent) manner. BACKGROUND Previous studies have demonstrated that groups of coactive observers detect more signals in a vigilance task than observers working alone. Therefore, the use of such groups might be effective in enhancing signal detection in operational situations. However, concern over appearing less competent than one's cohort might induce elevated levels of workload and stress in coactive group members and thereby undermine group performance benefits. Accordingly, we performed the initial experiment comparing workload and stress in observers who performed a vigilance task coactively with those of observers who performed the vigilance task alone. METHOD Observers monitored a video display for collision flight paths in a simulated unmanned aerial vehicle control task. Self-reports of workload and stress were secured via the NASA-Task Load Index and the Dundee Stress State Questionnaire, respectively. RESULTS Groups of coactive observers detected significantly more signals than did single observers. Coacting observers did not differ significantly from those operating by themselves in terms of workload but did in regard to stress; posttask distress was significantly lower for coacting than for single observers. CONCLUSION Performing a visual vigilance task in a coactive manner with another observer does not elevate workload above that of observers working alone and serves to attenuate the stress associated with vigilance task performance. APPLICATION The use of coacting observers could be an effective vehicle for enhancing performance efficiency in operational vigilance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory J Funke
- Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OhioGeorge Mason University, Fairfax, VirginiaNorthrop Grumman Corporation, Melbourne, FloridaNaval Medical Research Unit Dayton, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OhioHoneywell International, Inc., Golden Valley, MinnesotaUnited States Air Force Academy, ColoradoUniversity of Central Florida, OrlandoNational Research Council, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
| | - Joel S Warm
- Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
| | | | - Andre Garcia
- Northrop Grumman Corporation, Melbourne, Florida
| | - Matthew E Funke
- Naval Medical Research Unit Dayton, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
| | | | | | | | - Eric T Greenlee
- National Research Council, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio
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Finkbeiner KM, Russell PN, Helton WS. Rest improves performance, nature improves happiness: Assessment of break periods on the abbreviated vigilance task. Conscious Cogn 2016; 42:277-285. [DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2016.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2015] [Revised: 02/10/2016] [Accepted: 04/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Disrupting monotony while increasing demand: benefits of rest and intervening tasks on vigilance. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2016; 81:432-444. [DOI: 10.1007/s00426-016-0752-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2015] [Accepted: 02/08/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Epling SL, Russell PN, Helton WS. A new semantic vigilance task: vigilance decrement, workload, and sensitivity to dual-task costs. Exp Brain Res 2015; 234:133-9. [DOI: 10.1007/s00221-015-4444-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2015] [Accepted: 09/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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