Vigilance, or sustained attention tasks involve detecting critical signals, embedded amid more frequent neutral signals, over an extended period of time. A decline in performance, engagement, and arousal over time, as well as high workload and stress, are common outcomes of such tasks. Exposure to broad-spectrum or short wavelength bright light has been found to positively impact alertness, speed of information processing, and mood, but has not been extensively explored in the vigilance domain. The present study explored whether a light therapy lamp could mitigate the negative vigilance outcomes found in both performance and affective state. Results indicated that the therapy light did not prevent a decline in detection of critical signals over time, nor significantly impact workload, sleepiness, or subjective stress state compared to a dim light condition. However, mood questionnaire results suggest that lighting may impact separate constructs of arousal and tiredness, warranting further research.

Vigilance tasks typically involve an operator monitoring an environment for infrequent, random critical signals, buried among more frequent neutral signals, for an extended period. In addition to a decline in task engagement, task performance, and arousal over time, these tasks are also associated with high perceived workload. Previously, music has been shown to positively influence operator engagement and response times during vigilance tasks; however, the differences between fast and slow tempo music on both vigilance performance and mood measures have not been studied. The present study examined the effects of music played at different tempos on a selection of performance metrics and self-report measures of mood, engagement, and workload. Results indicated that varying music tempo did not influence the typical decline in detection of critical signals, but the fast tempo condition had a modestly positive impact on worry and engagement from pre to post task.

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