Characteristics of sustaining attention in a gradual-onset continuous performance task.

Abstract

Continuous performance tasks are frequently associated with a vigilance decrement, particularly when target events are rare and after prolonged time on task. Here we characterized the time course of a performance decrement that happens more rapidly. Using the gradual-onset continuous performance task (the gradCPT), we presented participants with a long sequence of scenes that gradually faded in and out. Participants pressed a button as soon as they detected scenes in one category and ignored scenes in another category. We manipulated the novelty of stimuli, required response rate, and the prevalence rate of the target stimuli. Performance sensitivity declined moderately within and across three 8-min-long blocks. Contrary to mindlessness accounts of vigilance decrement, the decline was not restricted to situations when target events were rare and the stimuli were repetitive. High motor response rates substantially impaired overall sensitivity and moderately increased performance decrement. Performance in the gradCPT did not correlate with individual differences in mindfulness, attentional lapses, media multitasking, or complex working memory span. The rapid and pervasively observed decline in performance is consistent with attentional resource theories of vigilance decrement.

Do concerns about COVID-19 impair sustained attention?

“…Previous studies have linked commission errors to a failure to suppress frequent responses (Jun et al, 2019;Wilson et al, 2016). Consistent with this proposal, an analysis on response time (Additional file 1: S6) showed that responses became faster as the experiment progressed.…”

“…Health-related concerns I am worried that I or people I love will get sick from the coronavirus I am worried that the coronavirus will delay the treatment of other illnesses that I or people I love may have (Helton & Russell, 2011;Jun et al, 2019), we computed A' (Grier, 1971;Stainslaw & Todorv, 1999) as a measure of detection sensitivity. Objections can be raised to the use of A' (Verde et al, 2006), so in Additional file 1: S5, we report d' results.…”

“…In addition, a brain connectivity network built on these participants' fMRI data successfully predicted the severity of ADHD symptoms in children, providing strong evidence for its external validity. Other studies showed that the scene CPT was highly demanding, producing rapid performance decline after just two minutes on the task (Esterman et al, 2013;Jun et al, 2019). Although Esterman et al (2013)'s task used images with gradual onset, key features of the task were replicated when images were presented with an abrupt onset (Jun & Lee, submitted).…”

The ANTI-Vea task: analyzing the executive and arousal vigilance decrements while measuring the three attentional networks

“…Note that, traditionally, the EV decrement has been examined by simple signal detection tasks wherein it is commonly observed a progressive loss in sensitivity: a behavioral pattern explained by the resources overload model as the consequence of a progressive depletion in the available attentional resources (R. A. Grier et al, 2003;Jun, Remington, Koutstaal, & Jiang, 2019;See et al, 1995;Warm et al, 2008). However, as demonstrated by recent research, the loss in sensitivity might be an artifact of simple vigilance tasks wherein it is usually observed a floor rate on FA (Claypoole et al, 2018;Thomson et al, 2016).…”

Impact of adolescent media multitasking on cognition and driving safety

“…One potential contributing agent is the tendency of persons with high levels of MM, compared to those with lower levels, to more commonly integrate incidental and irrelevant environmental cues during perception and evaluation (Lopez, Salinger, Heatherton, & Wagner, ). One study showed no association between MM and performance on selective sustained attention (Jun, Remington, Koutstaal, & Jiang, ), and a recent meta‐analysis found no association between MM and distractibility after correcting for small‐study effects (Wiradhany & Nieuwenstein, ). Longitudinal research is needed to discern how MM impacts development of attention over the course of adolescence.…”