Fatigue in sustained attention: Generalizing mechanisms for time awake to time on task.

2010 ◽  
pp. 83-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenn Gunzelmann ◽  
L. Richard Moore ◽  
Kevin A. Gluck ◽  
Hans P. A. Van Dongen ◽  
David F. Dinges
Keyword(s):  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Time On Task ◽  
Time Awake

Gamma Oscillations Index Sustained Attention in a Brief Vigilance Task

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 546-550
Author(s):  
Lorraine Borghetti ◽  
Megan B. Morris ◽  
L. Jack Rhodes ◽  
Ashley R. Haubert ◽  
Bella Z. Veksler
Keyword(s):  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Gamma Oscillations ◽  
Time On Task ◽  
Potential Candidate ◽  
Theta Power ◽  
High Performers ◽  
Beta Power ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Gamma Power ◽  
Compensatory Effort

Sustained attention is an essential behavior in life, but often leads to performance decrements with time. Computational accounts of sustained attention suggest this is due to brief disruptions in goal-directed processing, or microlapses. Decreases in gamma spectral power are a potential candidate for indexing microlapses and discriminating between low and high performers in sustained attention tasks, while increases in beta, alpha, and theta power are expected to exhibit compensatory effort to offset fatigue. The current study tests these hypotheses in a 10-minute Psychomotor Vigilance Test, a context that eliminates confounds with measuring gamma frequencies. 34 participants ( Mage = 22.60; SDage = 4.08) volunteered in the study. Results suggested frontal gamma power declined with time-on-task, indicating reduction in central cognition. Beta power increased with time-on-task, suggesting compensatory effort; however, alpha and theta power did not increase. Additionally, gamma power discriminated between low and high performers, potentially suggesting motivational differences between the groups.

scholarly journals The Sustained Attention to Response Task Shows Lower Cingulo-Opercular and Frontoparietal Activity in People with Narcolepsy Type 1: An fMRI Study on the Neural Regulation of Attention

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 419
Author(s):  
Jari K. Gool ◽  
Ysbrand D. van der Werf ◽  
Gert Jan Lammers ◽  
Rolf Fronczek
Keyword(s):  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Group Performance ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Vigilance Task ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Time On Task ◽  
Related Activity ◽  
Response Task

Vigilance complaints often occur in people with narcolepsy type 1 and severely impair effective daytime functioning. We tested the feasibility of a three-level sustained attention to response task (SART) paradigm within a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) environment to understand brain architecture underlying vigilance regulation in individuals with narcolepsy type 1. Twelve medication-free people with narcolepsy type 1 and 11 matched controls were included. The SART included four repetitions of a baseline block and two difficulty levels requiring moderate and high vigilance. Outcome measures were between and within-group performance indices on error rates and reaction times, and functional MRI (fMRI) parameters: mean activity during the task and between-group activity differences across the three conditions and related to changes in activation over time (time-on-task) and error-related activity. Patients—but not controls—made significantly more mistakes with increasing difficulty. The modified SART is a feasible MRI vigilance task showing similar task-positive brain activity in both groups within the cingulo-opercular, frontoparietal, arousal, motor, and visual networks. During blocks of higher vigilance demand, patients had significantly lower activation in these regions than controls. Patients had lower error-related activity in the left pre- and postcentral gyrus. The time-on-task activity differences between groups suggest that those with narcolepsy are insufficiently capable of activating attention- and arousal-related regions when transitioning from attention initiation to stable attention, specifically when vigilance demand is high. They also show lower inhibitory motor activity in relation to errors, suggesting impaired executive functioning.

scholarly journals Pupillometry as an Objective Measure of Sustained Attention in Young and Older Listeners

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 233121651988781 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sijia Zhao ◽  
Gabriela Bury ◽  
Alice Milne ◽  
Maria Chait
Keyword(s):  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Pupil Diameter ◽  
Objective Measure ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Global Changes ◽  
Time On Task ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Older Populations ◽  
Crowded Environments ◽  
Trial Participants

The ability to sustain attention on a task-relevant sound source while avoiding distraction from concurrent sounds is fundamental to listening in crowded environments. We aimed to (a) devise an experimental paradigm with which this aspect of listening can be isolated and (b) evaluate the applicability of pupillometry as an objective measure of sustained attention in young and older populations. We designed a paradigm that continuously measured behavioral responses and pupillometry during 25-s trials. Stimuli contained a number of concurrent, spectrally distinct tone streams. On each trial, participants detected gaps in one of the streams while resisting distraction from the others. Behavior demonstrated increasing difficulty with time-on-task and with number/proximity of distractor streams. In young listeners ( N = 20; aged 18 to 35 years), pupil diameter (on the group and individual level) was dynamically modulated by instantaneous task difficulty: Periods where behavioral performance revealed a strain on sustained attention were accompanied by increased pupil diameter. Only trials on which participants performed successfully were included in the pupillometry analysis so that the observed effects reflect task demands as opposed to failure to attend. In line with existing reports, we observed global changes to pupil dynamics in the older group ( N = 19; aged 63 to 79 years) including decreased pupil diameter, limited dilation range, and reduced temporal variability. However, despite these changes, older listeners showed similar effects of attentive tracking to those observed in the young listeners. Overall, our results demonstrate that pupillometry can be a reliable and time-sensitive measure of attentive tracking over long durations in both young and (with caveats) older listeners.

Performance in Vigilance Tasks is Related to Both State and Contextual Motivation

2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 1145-1149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexis R. Dewar ◽  
Nicholas W. Fraulini ◽  
Victoria L. Claypoole ◽  
James L. Szalma
Keyword(s):  
Intrinsic Motivation ◽  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Vigilance Task ◽  
False Alarms ◽  
Time On Task ◽  
Vigilance Decrement ◽  
Vigilance Performance ◽  
Task Instructions ◽  
State Motivation

Vigilance, or sustained attention, is the ability to maintain attention to stimuli over a prolonged period of time. Synonymous with the study of sustained attention is the vigilance decrement, which is a decline in performance as a function of time on task. In the present study, we examined the effects of state motivation (i.e., motivation measured immediately prior to the task) and context-based motivation (i.e., motivation that stems from task instructions) on vigilance performance in a sensory-based vigilance task. Forty-three participants completed a 24-minute vigilance task, as well as measures of stress and workload. The results indicated that those higher in state intrinsic motivation and motivating instructions outperformed their peers in terms of hits and false alarms. We conclude that motivation may help facilitate vigilant attention.

scholarly journals Chewing and Attention: A Positive Effect on Sustained Attention

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshiyuki Hirano ◽  
Minoru Onozuka
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Stress Relief ◽  
Chewing Gum ◽  
Time On Task ◽  
Task Effect ◽  
Pubmed Database ◽  
Negative Attributes ◽  
Positive Effect

Chewing is crushing food not only to aid swallowing and digestion, but also to help stress relief and regulate cognitive function, especially in attention. It is well known that chewing gum is used for sleepiness prevention during work, learning, and driving, suggesting a link between chewing and sustained attention. We hypothesized that chewing elevates attention and/or alertness, leading to improvements in cognitive performance. We carried out a systematic review of the PubMed database. We inspected the attributes of effects on attention in studies investigating the effects of chewing on attention or alertness conducted with pre-post design in healthy subjects, except elderly. We identified 151 references, 22 of which were included: 14 (64%) showed positive attributes of effects on attention, 1 (5%) showed negative attributes of effects on attention, 5 (23%) showed both positive and negative attributes of effects on attention, and 2 (9%) showed no significant attributes of effects on attention. Thus, positive attributes of effects of chewing on attention, especially on sustained attention, were shown in over half of the reports. These effects also appeared with improvement in mood and stress relief and were influenced by time-on-task effect. Further studies are needed, but chewing could be useful for modifying cognitive function.

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

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leon C. Reteig ◽  
Ruud L. van den Brink ◽  
Sam Prinssen ◽  
Michael X Cohen ◽  
Heleen A. Slagter
Keyword(s):  
Task Performance ◽  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Temporal Variability ◽  
Attentional Control ◽  
Initial Level ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Time On Task ◽  
Vigilance Decrement ◽  
Attention Task ◽  
Related Potentials

AbstractOur 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 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 minutes without breaks. After 60 minutes, participants were motivated by an unexpected monetary incentive to increase performance in the final 20 minutes. We found that task performance and self-reported motivation declined rapidly, reaching a 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 minutes. While task performance also increased, it did not return to the initial level, and fell to the lowest level overall during the final 10 minutes. 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 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.

scholarly journals 0299 Total Sleep Deprivation and Time on Task: Not the Same for Sustained Attention and Executive Processes and Poor Benefit of Caffeine

SLEEP ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A113-A113
Author(s):  
M Erblang ◽  
M Quiquempoix ◽  
A Vergez ◽  
P Van Beers ◽  
M Guillard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Response Time ◽  
Sleep Deprivation ◽  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Test Session ◽  
Time On Task ◽  
Executive Processes ◽  
Total Sleep Deprivation ◽  
Mean Response Time ◽  
Sleep Debt ◽  
Significant Difference

Abstract Introduction Mental Fatigue is commonly questioned regarding time on task or sleep debt effect (Hockey, 2013; Pattyn et al., 2018) or sleep debt effect (Krause et al., 2017). No studies have neither investigated contributions of these two factors for different cognitive processes nor benefit of caffeine. Methods 24 right-handed and healthy subjects (18–50 years old), with a median chronotype and sleep need participated in a 2-experimental counter-balanced (placebo: PBO and caffeine: COFFEE - 2.5 mg/kg) total sleep deprivation protocol (TSD = 27 hours of continuous wakefulness). Subjective sleepiness (KSS), sustained attention (PC-PVT), inhibition (Go-NoGo) and working memory (2N-Back) capabilities were tested each morning during BASE and TSD (10 min. test session from 9:15 am to 10:15 am). Caffeine was ingested with a decaffeinated drink at 8:30 am. Results KSS score (5.6±0.4 vs 3.2±0.3; p<0.001), number of Lapses (9.8±1.7 vs 0.4±0.2; p<0.001), mean response time (RT: 308±4.9 vs 260±9.4; p<0.001) in PVT, errors of commission (6.4±0.4 vs 3.1±0.3; p<0.01) and mean response time (RT: 336±24 vs 301±13; p<0.01) in Go-NoGo were significantly higher after TSD compared to BASE. Neither significant difference in the proportion of correct responses (CR: 0.92±0.015 vs 0.90±0.014; p>0.15) nor RT (592±49 vs 640±28 ms, p > 0,11), were observed in the 2N-Back task. Further analyses showed different TOT x TSD interaction for PVT (after 3 min of task engagement), Go-NoGo (after 6 min) and 2N-Back (after 8 min). Number of Lapses was significantly but partially reduced (5.8±0.4 vs 9.8±1.7; p<0.01) in COFFEE condition compared with PBO with more aversive effects for Go-NoGo errors and 2N-Back BR. Conclusion Our results are in accordance with previous studies showing differential kinetic of cognitive deficits under TSD, limited benefit of sleep banking and regular physical activity (Arnal et al., 2015; Rabat et al., 2019; Sauvet et al., 2019) and no benefit of caffeine on executive processes (Gottsellig et coll., 2006; Killgore et coll., 2007, 2012). Keywords: TSD, TOT, Attention, Executive, Caffeine. Support Grants from the French General Directorate for Armament (Contract Number: SAN-1–509).

scholarly journals Video game experience improves sustained and divided attention but does not affect resistance to cognitive fatigue

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Brooks ◽  
Craig P Speelman ◽  
Guillermo Campitelli
Keyword(s):  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Divided Attention ◽  
Human Error ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Time Variability ◽  
Time On Task ◽  
Cognitive Fatigue ◽  
Attention Performance ◽  
Game Players

An increasing number of occupations involve tasks requiring sustained and divided attention skills. These tasks are often susceptible to the effects of cognitive fatigue, resulting in poorer performance and increasing the likelihood of human error. Previous research indicates that those who regularly play action video games have superior performance on cognitive tests that are related to sustained attention and divided attention performance. Few studies, however, have investigated how performance on these tasks change as time-on-task increases. The current study compared the performance of 18 video game players (VGPs) and 24 non-video game players (NVGPs) on the NASA Multi-Attribute Task Battery (version 2; MATB-II) before and after completing a 60-minute sustained attention task. Results indicated that at the multivariate level, VGPs demonstrated superior sustained attention compared to NVGPs, however both groups experienced similar levels of cognitive fatigue with an increasing number of errors and greater reaction time variability as time-on-task increased. In addition, at the multivariate level, VGPs demonstrated superior divided attention performance compared to NVGPs, however univariate analyses revealed a more complex relationship. Further, the performance of both groups improved in the second session compared to the first, indicating a learning effect rather than a fatigue effect. Whilst the current results demonstrate VGP superiority in sustained and divided attention tasks, there was no evidence that these abilities assist with resisting the effects of cognitive fatigue.

scholarly journals Effects of mid-frontal brain stimulation on sustained attention

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martine R. van Schouwenburg ◽  
Ilja G. Sligte ◽  
Michael R. Giffin ◽  
Franziska Günther ◽  
Dirk Koster ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Electrical Current ◽  
Time On Task ◽  
Vigilance Decrement ◽  
Attention Task ◽  
Dorsomedial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Frontal Brain ◽  
Subject Design ◽  
Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation ◽  
Over Time

AbstractSustained attention is defined as the ability to maintain attention over longer periods of time, which typically declines with time on task (i.e., the vigilance decrement). Previous studies have suggested an important role for the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in sustained attention. In two experiments, we aimed to enhance sustained attention by applying transcranial electrical current stimulation over the mPFC during a sustained attention task. In the first experiment, we applied transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in a between-subject design (n=97): participants received either anodal, cathodal, or sham stimulation. Contrary to our prediction, we found no effect of stimulation on the vigilance decrement. In the second experiment, participants received theta and alpha transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) in two separate sessions (n=47, within-subject design). Here, we found a frequency-dependent effect on the vigilance decrement, such that contrary to our expectation, participants’ performance over time became worse after theta compared to alpha stimulation. However, this result needs to be interpreted with caution given that this effect could be driven by differential side effects between the two stimulation frequencies. To conclude, across two studies, we were not able to reduce the vigilant decrement using tDCS or theta tACS.

scholarly journals Pupillometry as an objective measure of sustained attention in young and older listeners

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sijia Zhao ◽  
Gabriela Bury ◽  
Alice Milne ◽  
Maria Chait
Keyword(s):  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Pupil Diameter ◽  
Objective Measure ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Global Changes ◽  
Time On Task ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Behavioural Performance ◽  
Crowded Environments ◽  
Trial Participants

AbstractThe ability to sustain attention on a task-relevant sound-source whilst avoiding distraction from other concurrent sounds is fundamental to listening in crowded environments. To isolate this aspect of hearing we designed a paradigm that continuously measured behavioural and pupillometry responses during 25-second-long trials in young (18-35 yo) and older (63-79 yo) participants. The auditory stimuli consisted of a number (1, 2 or 3) of concurrent, spectrally distinct tone streams. On each trial, participants detected brief silent gaps in one of the streams whilst resisting distraction from the others. Behavioural performance demonstrated increasing difficulty with time-on-task and with number/proximity of distractor streams. In young listeners (N=20), pupillometry revealed that pupil diameter (on the group and individual level) was dynamically modulated by instantaneous task difficulty such that periods where behavioural performance revealed a strain on sustained attention, were also accompanied by increased pupil diameter. Only trials on which participants performed successfully were included in the pupillometry analysis. Therefore, the observed effects reflect consequences of task demands as opposed to failure to attend.In line with existing reports, we observed global changes to pupil dynamics in the older group, including decreased pupil diameter, a limited dilation range, and reduced temporal variability. However, despite these changes, the older group showed similar effects of attentive tracking to those observed in the younger listeners. Overall, our results demonstrate that pupillometry can be a reliable and time-sensitive measure of the effort associated with attentive tracking over long durations in both young and (with some caveats) older listeners.

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