Task engagement and attentional resources: Multivariate models for individual differences and stress factors in vigilance

Objective: Two studies tested multivariate models of relationships between subjective task engagement and vigilance. The second study included a stress factor (cold infection). Modeling tested relationships between latent factors for task engagement and vigilance, and the role of engagement in mediating effects of cold infection. Background: Raja Parasuraman’s research on vigilance identified several key issues, including the roles of task factors, arousal processes, and individual differences, within the framework of resource theory. Task engagement is positively correlated with performance on various attentional tasks and may serve as a marker for resource availability. Method: In the first study, 229 participants performed simultaneous and successive vigilance tasks. In the second study, 204 participants performed a vigilance task and a variable-foreperiod simple reaction-time task on two separate days. On the second day, 96 participants performed while infected with a naturally occurring common cold. Task engagement was assessed in both studies. Results: In both studies, vigilance decrement in hit rate was observed, and task performance led to loss of task engagement. Cold infection also depressed both vigilance and engagement. Fitting structural equation models indicated that simultaneous and successive tasks should be represented by separate latent factors (Study 1), and task engagement fully mediated the impact of cold infection on vigilance but not reaction time (Study 2). Conclusions: Modeling individual differences in task engagement elucidates the role of resources in vigilance and underscores the relevance of Parasuraman’s vision of the field

Team Vigilance: The Effects of Co-Action on Workload and Stress

Operator vigilance is a vital concern to the Air Force in regard to cockpit monitoring, air-traffic control, and the supervisory control of unmanned aerial vehicles. A key interest is the performance of teams of observers because of the reliance of military operations on good teamwork. Previous literature has examined the efficacy of team vigilance performance by comparing the frequency of target detections by teams in comparison to those obtained by operators working alone. Team performance has consistently exceeded single-operator performance. The present study replicates this effect and provides the initial experimental investigation of the cost of being a team member. Results indicated that team members worked harder but reported less distress than single operators in the performance of a simulated UAV monitoring task

The independence and interdependence of coacting observers in regard to performance efficiency, workload, and stress in a vigilance task

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

A Dynamic Model of Stress and Sustained Attention

This paper examines the effects of stress on sustained attention. With recognition of the task itself as the major source of cognitive stress, a dynamic model is presented that addresses the effects of stress on vigilance and, potentially, a wide variety of attention performance tasks

Signal salience and the mindlessness theory of vigilance

The present study was designed to explore whether sustained attention tasks can be adequately described by a mindlessness perspective or a limited resource perspective. One hundred and seventy six participants (88 women and 88 men) were assigned at random to one of two signal salience conditions: high and low. Performance and self-reported states, Energetic Arousal, Tense Arousal, Task-Related-Thoughts, and Task-Unrelated-Thoughts, were collected. Overall performance efficiency and the rate of the vigilance decrement were influenced by the salience level of the signal being observed. Post-task self-reports of Task-Unrelated-Thoughts were significantly related to overall performance efficiency, but not with the vigilance decrement. Post-task self-reports of Energetic Arousal were significantly related to both overall performance and the vigilance decrement. The results support a resource theory perspective in regards to the vigilance decrement and are in contradiction to the mindlessness theory in regards to the vigilance decrement. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Signal Regularity And The Mindlessness Model Of Vigilance

Robertson, Manly, Andrade, Baddeley, and Yiend (1997) have proposed that detection failures in vigilance tasks result from a \u27mindless\u27 withdrawal of attentional effort from the monitoring assignment. To explore that view, they modified the traditional vigilance task, in which observers make button-press responses to signify the detection of rarely occurring critical signals, to one in which button-press responses acknowledge frequently occurring non-signal events and response withholding signifies signal detection. This modification is designed to promote a mindless withdrawal of attentional effort from the task through routinization. The present study challenges the validity of the mindlessness model by showing that with both types of task, observers utilize subtle patterns in the temporal structure of critical signal appearances to develop expectations about the time course of those appearances that affect performance efficiency. Such expectations enhance performance on the traditional vigilance task, but degrade performance on the modified task. © 2005 The British Psychological Society

Training Techniques For Visual Search In Complex Task Environments

Objective: The goal for this study was to evaluate several visual search training techniques in an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) simulated task environment. Background: Operators controlling remote unmanned vehicles often must perform complex visual search tasks (e.g., target search). These tasks may pose substantial demands on the operator due to various environmental factors. Visual search training may reduce errors and mitigate stress, but the most effective form of training has not been determined. Methods: Participants were assigned to one of four training conditions: target, cue, visual scanning, or control. After the training, the effectiveness of the training techniques was tested during a 30-minute simulated UAV flight. A secondary task manipulation was included to further simulate the demands of a realistic UAV control and target search task. Subjective stress and fatigue were also assessed. Results: Target training produced superior target search performances in more hits and fewer false alarms (FAs) when compared to the control condition. The visual scanning and cue trainings were moderately effective. Only target training performance was vulnerable to the secondary task load. The task was stressful, but training did not mitigate stress response. Conclusion: Training participants on the target and the cue appearance as well as active scanning of the visual field is promising for promoting effective target search for this simulated UAV environment. Application: These training techniques could be used in preparation for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions that involve target search, especially where target appearance change is likely

The Vigilance Decrement Reflects Limitations In Effortful Attention, Not Mindlessness

Robertson, Manly, Andrade, Baddeley, and Yiend (1997) proposed that the decline in performance efficiency over time in vigilance tasks (the vigilance decrement) is characterized by mindlessness or a withdrawal of attentional effort from the monitoring assignment. We assessed that proposal using measures of perceived mental workload (NASA-TLX) and stress (Dundee Stress State Questionnaire). Two types of vigilance task were employed: a traditional version, wherein observers made button-press responses to signify detection of rarely occurring critical signals, and a modified version, developed by Robertson et al. to promote mindlessness via routinization, wherein button-press responses acknowledged frequently occurring neutral stimulus events and response withholding signified critical signal detection. The vigilance decrement was observed in both tasks, and both tasks generated equally elevated levels of workload and stress, the latter including cognitions relating to performance adequacy. Vigilance performance seems better characterized by effortful attention (mindfulness) than by mindlessness. Actual or potential applications of this research include procedures to reduce the information-processing demand imposed by vigilance tasks and the stress associated with such tasks

Predicting Battlefield Vigilance: A Multivariate Approach To Assessment Of Attentional Resources

Technological innovation increasingly requires operators in various applied settings to maintain vigilance for extended periods. However, standard psychometric tests typically predict less than 10% of performance variance. The present study (N = 462) aimed to apply the resource theory of sustained attention to construct a multivariate test battery for predicting battlefield vigilance. The battery included cognitive ability tests, a high-workload short vigilance task and subjective measures of stress response. Four versions of a 60- min simulated military battlefield monitoring task were constructed to represent different operational requirements. The test battery predicted 24-44% of criterion variance, depending on task version, suggesting that it may identify vigilant operators in military and other applied contexts. A multiple-groups path analysis showed that relationships between ability and vigilance were moderated by working memory demands. Findings are consistent with a diffuse theoretical concept of \u27resources\u27 in which performance energisation depends on multiple, loosely coupled processes. Practitioner Summary: Assessment of operators\u27 competence in vigilant monitoring is increasingly important as automation technology becomes more prevalent. This study investigated the validity of a battery of measures of attentional resources in predicting vigilance on a military display monitoring task. Findings confirm that the multivariate approach substantially enhances prediction over existing approaches. © 2014 © 2014 Taylor & Francis