VIGILANCE AND SUSTAINED ATTENTION
INTRODUCTION
Staying alert and focused is crucial for productivity and
safety, and for optimal cognitive performance.
VIGILANCE
Vigilance, or sustained attention, refers to the ability to
monitor displays for stimulus events over prolonged
periods of time.
The term ‘vigilance’ as applied to human behavior was
coined by Sir Henry Head (1923), who referred to it as a
state of maximum physiological and psychological
readiness to react.
However, the origin of modern vigilance research, as in
many other areas of human factors, was in the Second
World War.
VIGILANCE DECREMENT
A decrease in vigilance over time is often observed
when performing prolonged tasks, a phenomenon
known as “vigilance decrement”.
The vigilance decrement is usually observed as a
progressive slowness in responses as well as a drop in
the correct detection on infrequent critical signals (i.e.,
hits) with time-on task.
4 MAIN FUNCTIONS OF ATTENTION
1. Signal detection - we detect the appearance of
a particular stimulus.
2. Selective attention - we choose to attend to
some stimuli and to ignore others.
3. Divided detection - we prudently allocate our
available attentional resources to coordinate
our performance of more than one task at a
time.
4. Search - we often engage in an active search for
a particular stimulus.
TYPES OF ATTENTION
Voluntary Attention - deliberately concentrating
mental process.
Involuntary Attention - physical properties of
objects determine involuntary attention.
Habitual Attention - attention becomes more
automatic with the passes of time.
THEORIES OF VIGILANCE
1. Inhibition Theory
2. Expectancy Theory
3. Arousal Theory
4. Resource Theory
INHIBITION THEORY
According to this perspective, vigilance declines
because of a progressive rise in response inhibition.
Data were reported that were consistent with this
view, that knowledge of results (‘reinforcement’)
increases detection responses, and that
performance improves after brief rest periods,
presumably a reflection of dissipation of inhibition.
In addition, introducing a novel stimulus event can
re-establish vigilance levels, a process known as
disinhibition.
EXPECTANCY THEORY
The theory, first presented by Baker (1959), asserts
that observers’ expectancies regarding signal events
often differ from reality, and this discrepancy
accounts for the response patterns observed in
vigilance experiments.
Thus, observers adjust their level of responses (and
thereby their level of detections) according to the
perceived signal frequency and their prior
experiences on the task or similar tasks.
 Although this theory still has utility in explaining
response bias effects and responses by observers to
changes in signal and event rate, it does not provide
a complete explanation for vigilance effects.

AROUSAL THEORY

According to this view, an individual’s level of vigilance

depends on their arousal, and the performance
decrement results from under-arousal resulting from
the under stimulating environment of the vigilance task.

Arousal theory cannot account for the high stress levels

associated with vigilance.

In addition, because arousal theory argues that vigilance

tasks are under-arousing, the mental workload
associated with such tasks should be low,

RESOURCE THEORY

Resource theory emerged as an alternative to arousal

theory, and it was adopted as a theory of vigilance.

According to resource theory, an individual’s vigilance

depends on the mental capacities or ‘resources’ that
can be allocated to the task.

According to this theory, the performance decrement

occurs because individuals expend resources for
maintaining attention at a rate faster than they can be
replenished.

ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER

People with ADHD have difficulties in focusing their

attention in ways that enable them to adapt in optimal
ways to their environment.

People with ADHD show several distinctive symptoms.

They are easily distracted by irrelevant sights and
sounds. They often fail to pay attention to details. They
are susceptible to making careless mistakes in their
work. They often fail to read instructions completely or
carefully. They are susceptible to forgetting or losing
things they need for tasks. They tend to jump from one
incomplete task to another.

ADHD is most often treated with a combination of

psychotherapy and drugs.