The Cognitive Neuroscience of Vigilance – A Test of Temporal Decrement in the Attention Networks Test (ANT)
The aim of this study was to test whether the Attention
Networks Test (ANT) showed temporal decrements in performance.
Vigilance tasks typically show such decrements, which may reflect
impairments in executive control resulting from cognitive fatigue.
The ANT assesses executive control, as well as alerting and
orienting. Thus, it was hypothesized that ANT executive control
would deteriorate over time. Manipulations including task condition
(trial composition) and masking were included in the experimental
design in an attempt to increase performance decrements. However,
results showed that there is no temporal decrement on the ANT. The
roles of task demands, cognitive fatigue and participant motivation in
producing this result are discussed. The ANT may not be an effective
tool for investigating temporal decrement in attention.
[1] R. Parasuraman, "Vigilance, Monitoring and Search In J.R. Boff, L.
Kaufmann & J.P. Thomas (Eds.)", in Handbook of Human Perception
and Performance, Vol.2, Cognitive Processes and Performance, New
York, Wiley, pp. 41-49, 1986.
[2] N. H. Mackworth, "The Breakdown of Vigilance during Prolonged
Visual Search", in Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, vol. 1
pp. 6-21, 1948.
[3] R. A. Grier, J. S. Warm, W. N. Dember, G. Matthews, T. L. Galinsky,
and J. L. Szalma et al., "The Vigilance Decrement Reflects Limitations in
Effortfull Attention, not Mindlessnes", in Human Factors, vol. 45, pp.
349-359, 2003.
[4] J. L. Szalma, J. S. Warm, G. Matthews, W. N. Dember, E. M. Weiler, A.
Meier, et al., "Effects of sensory modality and task duration on
performance, workload, and stress in sustained attention", in Human
Factors, vol. 46, pp. 219-233, 2004.
[5] J. S. Warm, R. Parasuraman, G. Matthews, "Vigilance requires hard
mental work and is stressful", in Human Factors, vol. 50, pp. 433-441,
2008.
[6] D. R. Davies, R. Parasuraman, The Psychology of Vigilance, London:
Academic Press, 1982.
[7] M. S. Humphreys, W. Revelle, "Personality, motivation and
performance: A theory of the relationship between individual
differences and information processing," in Psychological Review, 91,
pp. 153-184, 1984.
[8] J. S. Warm, W. N. Dember, "Tests of a vigilance taxonomy," in
"Viewing psychology as a whole: The integrative science of William N.
Dember" R. R. Hoffman, M. F. Sherrick & J. S.Warm Ed. Washington,
DC: American Psychological Association, pp. 87-112, 1998.
[9] T. Manly, I. H. Robertson, M. Galloway, K. Hawkins, "The Absent
Mind: Further Investigations of Sustained Attention to Response", in
Neuropsychologia, vol. 37, pp. 661-670, 1999.
[10] J. E. See, S. R. Howe, J. S. Warm, W. N. Dember, "Meta-analysis of the
sensitivity decrement in vigilance", in Psychological Bulletin, vol. 117,
pp. 230-249, 1995.
[11] T. Shaw, G. Matthews, J. S. Warm, V. S. Finomore, L. Silverman, P. T.
Costa Jr., "Individual differences in vigilance: Personality, ability and
states of stress", in Journal of Research in Personality, Vol.44, pp. 297-
308, 2010.
[12] G. Matthews, D. R. Davies, P. J. Holley, "Extraversion, Arousal, and
Visual Sustained Attention: the Role of Resource Availability", in
Personality an Individual Differences, vol. 11, pp. 1159-1173, 1990.
[13] G. Matthews, D. R. Davies, "Arousal and vigilance: The role of task
factors", in R. B. Hoffman, M. F. Sherrick, & J. S. Warm (Eds.), Viewing
psychology as a whole: The integrative science of William N. Dember,
Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, pp. 113-144,
1998.
[14] G. Matthews, D. R. Davies, S. J. Westerman, R. B. Stammers, Human
Performance: Cognition, Stress, and Individual Differences, East Sussex,
UK: Psychology Press, 2000.
[15] G. Matthews, J. S. Warm, L. E. Reinerman, L. K. Langheim, D. J. Saxby,
"Task engagement, attention and executive control", in A. Gruszka, G.
Matthews & B. Szymura (Eds.), Handbook of individual differences in
cognition: Attention, memory and executive control, New York,
Springer, pp. 205-230, 2010.
[16] G. Matthews, S. E. Campbell, S. Falconer, L. Joyner, J. Huggins, K.
Gilliland, R. Grier, J. S. Warm, "Fundamental dimensions of subjective
state in performance settings: Task engagement, distress and worry", in
Emotion, vol. 2, pp. 315-340, 2002.
[17] M. I. Posner, S. E. Peterson, "The attention systems of the human brain",
in Annual Review of Neuroscience, vol. 13, pp. 25-42, 1990.
[18] M. Botvinick, T. Braver, D. Barch, C. Carter, J. Cohen, "Conflict
monitoring and cognitive control", in Psychological Review, vol. 108
(3), pp. 624-652, 2001.
[19] G. Bush, P. Luu, M. I. Posner, "Cognitive and emotional influences in
the anterior cingulate cortex", in Trends in Cognitive Science, vol. 4/6,
pp. 215-222, 2000.
[20] J. Fan, B. D. McCandliss, T. Sommer, A. Raz & M. I. Posner, "Testing
the Efficiency and Independence of Attentional Networks", in Journal
of Cognitive Neuroscience, Vol.14, no.3, pp. 340-347, April 2002.
[21] M. I. Posner, "Orienting of attention", in Quarterly Journal of
Experimental Psychology, vol. 32, pp. 3-25, 1980.
[22] H. Eysenck, S. Eysenck, Manual of the Eysenck Personality Inventory,
London: University of London Press Ltd. 1964.
[23] T. L. Galinsky, J. S. Warm, W. N. Dember, E. M. Weiler, M. W. Scerbo,
"Sensory alternation and vigilance performance: The role of pathway
inhibition", in Human Factors, vol. 32, pp. 717-728, 1990.
[24] S. G. Hart, L. E. Staveland, "Development of a multi-dimensional
workload scale: Results of empirical and theoretical research. In P.A.
Hancock & N. Meshkati (Eds.)", in Human mental workload, pp.
139-183, Amsterdam: North-Holland,(1988.
[25] A. T. Kamzanova, G. Matthews, A. M. Kustubayeva, & S. M Jakupov,
EEG indices to time-on-task effects and to a workload manipulation
(cueing), in World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology,
vol. 80, pp. 19-22, 2011.
[26] A. Miyake, N. P. Friedman, M .J. Emerson, A. H. Witzki, & A.
Howerter, "The unity and diversity of executive functions and their
contributions to complex "frontal lobe" tasks: A latent variable
analysis", in Cognitive Psychology, vol. 41, pp. 49-100, 2000.
[1] R. Parasuraman, "Vigilance, Monitoring and Search In J.R. Boff, L.
Kaufmann & J.P. Thomas (Eds.)", in Handbook of Human Perception
and Performance, Vol.2, Cognitive Processes and Performance, New
York, Wiley, pp. 41-49, 1986.
[2] N. H. Mackworth, "The Breakdown of Vigilance during Prolonged
Visual Search", in Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, vol. 1
pp. 6-21, 1948.
[3] R. A. Grier, J. S. Warm, W. N. Dember, G. Matthews, T. L. Galinsky,
and J. L. Szalma et al., "The Vigilance Decrement Reflects Limitations in
Effortfull Attention, not Mindlessnes", in Human Factors, vol. 45, pp.
349-359, 2003.
[4] J. L. Szalma, J. S. Warm, G. Matthews, W. N. Dember, E. M. Weiler, A.
Meier, et al., "Effects of sensory modality and task duration on
performance, workload, and stress in sustained attention", in Human
Factors, vol. 46, pp. 219-233, 2004.
[5] J. S. Warm, R. Parasuraman, G. Matthews, "Vigilance requires hard
mental work and is stressful", in Human Factors, vol. 50, pp. 433-441,
2008.
[6] D. R. Davies, R. Parasuraman, The Psychology of Vigilance, London:
Academic Press, 1982.
[7] M. S. Humphreys, W. Revelle, "Personality, motivation and
performance: A theory of the relationship between individual
differences and information processing," in Psychological Review, 91,
pp. 153-184, 1984.
[8] J. S. Warm, W. N. Dember, "Tests of a vigilance taxonomy," in
"Viewing psychology as a whole: The integrative science of William N.
Dember" R. R. Hoffman, M. F. Sherrick & J. S.Warm Ed. Washington,
DC: American Psychological Association, pp. 87-112, 1998.
[9] T. Manly, I. H. Robertson, M. Galloway, K. Hawkins, "The Absent
Mind: Further Investigations of Sustained Attention to Response", in
Neuropsychologia, vol. 37, pp. 661-670, 1999.
[10] J. E. See, S. R. Howe, J. S. Warm, W. N. Dember, "Meta-analysis of the
sensitivity decrement in vigilance", in Psychological Bulletin, vol. 117,
pp. 230-249, 1995.
[11] T. Shaw, G. Matthews, J. S. Warm, V. S. Finomore, L. Silverman, P. T.
Costa Jr., "Individual differences in vigilance: Personality, ability and
states of stress", in Journal of Research in Personality, Vol.44, pp. 297-
308, 2010.
[12] G. Matthews, D. R. Davies, P. J. Holley, "Extraversion, Arousal, and
Visual Sustained Attention: the Role of Resource Availability", in
Personality an Individual Differences, vol. 11, pp. 1159-1173, 1990.
[13] G. Matthews, D. R. Davies, "Arousal and vigilance: The role of task
factors", in R. B. Hoffman, M. F. Sherrick, & J. S. Warm (Eds.), Viewing
psychology as a whole: The integrative science of William N. Dember,
Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, pp. 113-144,
1998.
[14] G. Matthews, D. R. Davies, S. J. Westerman, R. B. Stammers, Human
Performance: Cognition, Stress, and Individual Differences, East Sussex,
UK: Psychology Press, 2000.
[15] G. Matthews, J. S. Warm, L. E. Reinerman, L. K. Langheim, D. J. Saxby,
"Task engagement, attention and executive control", in A. Gruszka, G.
Matthews & B. Szymura (Eds.), Handbook of individual differences in
cognition: Attention, memory and executive control, New York,
Springer, pp. 205-230, 2010.
[16] G. Matthews, S. E. Campbell, S. Falconer, L. Joyner, J. Huggins, K.
Gilliland, R. Grier, J. S. Warm, "Fundamental dimensions of subjective
state in performance settings: Task engagement, distress and worry", in
Emotion, vol. 2, pp. 315-340, 2002.
[17] M. I. Posner, S. E. Peterson, "The attention systems of the human brain",
in Annual Review of Neuroscience, vol. 13, pp. 25-42, 1990.
[18] M. Botvinick, T. Braver, D. Barch, C. Carter, J. Cohen, "Conflict
monitoring and cognitive control", in Psychological Review, vol. 108
(3), pp. 624-652, 2001.
[19] G. Bush, P. Luu, M. I. Posner, "Cognitive and emotional influences in
the anterior cingulate cortex", in Trends in Cognitive Science, vol. 4/6,
pp. 215-222, 2000.
[20] J. Fan, B. D. McCandliss, T. Sommer, A. Raz & M. I. Posner, "Testing
the Efficiency and Independence of Attentional Networks", in Journal
of Cognitive Neuroscience, Vol.14, no.3, pp. 340-347, April 2002.
[21] M. I. Posner, "Orienting of attention", in Quarterly Journal of
Experimental Psychology, vol. 32, pp. 3-25, 1980.
[22] H. Eysenck, S. Eysenck, Manual of the Eysenck Personality Inventory,
London: University of London Press Ltd. 1964.
[23] T. L. Galinsky, J. S. Warm, W. N. Dember, E. M. Weiler, M. W. Scerbo,
"Sensory alternation and vigilance performance: The role of pathway
inhibition", in Human Factors, vol. 32, pp. 717-728, 1990.
[24] S. G. Hart, L. E. Staveland, "Development of a multi-dimensional
workload scale: Results of empirical and theoretical research. In P.A.
Hancock & N. Meshkati (Eds.)", in Human mental workload, pp.
139-183, Amsterdam: North-Holland,(1988.
[25] A. T. Kamzanova, G. Matthews, A. M. Kustubayeva, & S. M Jakupov,
EEG indices to time-on-task effects and to a workload manipulation
(cueing), in World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology,
vol. 80, pp. 19-22, 2011.
[26] A. Miyake, N. P. Friedman, M .J. Emerson, A. H. Witzki, & A.
Howerter, "The unity and diversity of executive functions and their
contributions to complex "frontal lobe" tasks: A latent variable
analysis", in Cognitive Psychology, vol. 41, pp. 49-100, 2000.
@article{"International Journal of Business, Human and Social Sciences:63800", author = "M. K. Zholdassova and G. Matthews and A. M. Kustubayeva and S. M. Jakupov", title = "The Cognitive Neuroscience of Vigilance – A Test of Temporal Decrement in the Attention Networks Test (ANT)", abstract = "The aim of this study was to test whether the Attention
Networks Test (ANT) showed temporal decrements in performance.
Vigilance tasks typically show such decrements, which may reflect
impairments in executive control resulting from cognitive fatigue.
The ANT assesses executive control, as well as alerting and
orienting. Thus, it was hypothesized that ANT executive control
would deteriorate over time. Manipulations including task condition
(trial composition) and masking were included in the experimental
design in an attempt to increase performance decrements. However,
results showed that there is no temporal decrement on the ANT. The
roles of task demands, cognitive fatigue and participant motivation in
producing this result are discussed. The ANT may not be an effective
tool for investigating temporal decrement in attention.", keywords = "ANT, executive control, task engagement, vigilancedecrement", volume = "6", number = "5", pages = "997-6", }
