Engaging the human operator: a review of the theoretical support for the vigilance decrement and a discussion of practical applications

Neigel, Alexis R.; Claypoole, Victoria L.; Smith, Samantha; Waldfogle, Grace E.; Fraulini, Nicholas W.; Hancock, Gabriella M.; Helton, William S.; Szalma, James L.

doi:10.1080/1463922x.2019.1682712

Cited by 27 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 125 publications

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“…Even though the setup involved remained highly controlled and laboratory related, our tasks were relatively close to complex automated environments encountered in operations, and more specifically teleoperations. Contrary to recent claims (Neigel et al, 2019), MW pervasive effects have been widely reported in monotonous ecological simulations (He et al, 2011;Schooler, 2014, 2015;Louw et al, 2015a,b;Baldwin et al, 2017;Gouraud et al, 2018a,b) and real environments (Galera et al, 2012;Berthié et al, 2015). Moreover, they are perfectly integrated in several recent neuroscientific models (Pattyn et al, 2008;Dehais et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Mind Wandering Influences EEG Signal in Complex Multimodal Environments

Gouraud

Delorme

Berberian

2021

Front. Neuroergonomics

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The phenomenon of mind wandering (MW), as a family of experiences related to internally directed cognition, heavily influences vigilance evolution. In particular, humans in teleoperations monitoring partially automated fleet before assuming manual control whenever necessary may see their attention drift due to internal sources; as such, it could play an important role in the emergence of out-of-the-loop (OOTL) situations and associated performance problems. To follow, quantify, and mitigate this phenomenon, electroencephalogram (EEG) systems already demonstrated robust results. As MW creates an attentional decoupling, both ERPs and brain oscillations are impacted. However, the factors influencing these markers in complex environments are still not fully understood. In this paper, we specifically addressed the possibility of gradual emergence of attentional decoupling and the differences created by the sensory modality used to convey targets. Eighteen participants were asked to (1) supervise an automated drone performing an obstacle avoidance task (visual task) and (2) respond to infrequent beeps as fast as possible (auditory task). We measured event-related potentials and alpha waves through EEG. We also added a 40-Hz amplitude modulated brown noise to evoke steady-state auditory response (ASSR). Reported MW episodes were categorized between task-related and task-unrelated episodes. We found that N1 ERP component elicited by beeps had lower amplitude during task-unrelated MW, whereas P3 component had higher amplitude during task-related MW, compared with other attentional states. Focusing on parieto-occipital regions, alpha-wave activity was higher during task-unrelated MW compared with others. These results support the decoupling hypothesis for task-unrelated MW but not task-related MW, highlighting possible variations in the “depth” of decoupling depending on MW episodes. Finally, we found no influence of attentional states on ASSR amplitude. We discuss possible reasons explaining why. Results underline both the ability of EEG to track and study MW in laboratory tasks mimicking ecological environments, as well as the complex influence of perceptual decoupling on operators' behavior and, in particular, EEG measures.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Mind Wandering Influences EEG Signal in Complex Multimodal Environments

Gouraud

Delorme

Berberian

2021

Front. Neuroergonomics

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“…If, however, capacity constraints exist, as proposed by Shenhav et al ( 2013) and multi-tasking theorists (e.g., Fischer & Plessow, 2015;Kahneman, 1973;Neigel et al, 2019;Wickens, 2002Wickens, , 2008, they could lead to performance decrements (i.e., breakdowns; Wickens, 2002). This is primarily relevant for the more complex incongruent condition, but is not limited to that.…”

Section: Present Studymentioning

confidence: 97%

Conflict Monitoring or Multi-tasking? Tracking Within-Task Performance in Single-item and Multi-item Stroop Tasks

Ziaka¹,

Protopapas²

2018

Preprint

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Cognitive control is applied in situations that require overriding a habitual and automatic response. The conflict monitoring hypothesis posits a control system responsible for detecting conflicting occasions and adapting to them, leading to performance improvement, regardless of how stimuli are presented. Here we evaluate this prediction in two versions of one of the most popular tasks in cognitive control, namely the Stroop task. We hypothesized that nearby-items interference combines with task interference to transform the multi-item version into a multi-task that defies control adaptation. Adopting an alternative methodology tracking within-task performance, we compared the classical multi-item version of the Stroop task and its single-item counterpart in adults and children. Our results indicated a within-task performance decline only in the multi-item version of the task, in both incongruent and neutral conditions, modulated by the presumed maturity of the control system. Our findings are interpreted as evidence of cognitive overload due to capacity limitations, as proposed by cognitive resource theory. These results challenge the conflict monitoring hypothesis and its recent extension, and they also raise substantial concerns regarding the calculation and use of indices of interference based on the commonly used multi-item version of the Stroop task.

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“…Although resource theory is a well-supported explanation for the vigilance decrement, competing underload explanations have also received some support (see Neigel et al, 2020, for a recent review). The mindlessness hypothesis suggests that vigilance tasks are inherently under-stimulating, which eventually leads to a withdrawal of focused attention from the task (i.e., "mindlessness") and a performance decline (Buckley et al, 2016).…”

Section: Resource and Mind-wandering Accountsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance, Hemodynamics, and Stress in a Two-Day Vigilance Task: Practical and Theoretical Implications

et al. 2021

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Objective To explore vigilance task performance, cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV), workload, and stress in a within-subjects, two-session experiment. Background Vigilance, or sustained attention, tasks are often characterized by a decline in operator performance and CBFV with time on task, and high workload and stress. Though performance is known to improve with practice, past research has not included measures of CBFV, stress, and workload in a within-subjects multi-session design, which may also provide insight into ongoing theoretical debate. Method Participants performed a vigilance task on two separate occasions. Performance, CBFV, workload, and self-reported stress were measured. Results Within each session, results were consistent with the vigilance profile found in prior research. Across sessions, performance improved but the time on task decrement remained. Mean CBFV and workload ratings did not differ between sessions, but participants reported significantly less distress, worry, and engagement after session two compared to one. Conclusion Though practice may not disrupt the standard vigilance profile, it may serve to improve overall performance and reduce stress. However, repeated exposure may have negative implications for engagement and mind-wandering. Application It is important to better understand the relationship between experience, performance, physiological response, and self-reported stress and workload in vigilance because real-world environments often require operators to do the same task over many occasions. While performance improvement and reduced distress is an encouraging result, the decline in engagement requires further research. Results across sessions fail to provide support to the mind-wandering theory of vigilance.

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Engaging the human operator: a review of the theoretical support for the vigilance decrement and a discussion of practical applications

Cited by 27 publications

References 125 publications

Mind Wandering Influences EEG Signal in Complex Multimodal Environments

Mind Wandering Influences EEG Signal in Complex Multimodal Environments

Conflict Monitoring or Multi-tasking? Tracking Within-Task Performance in Single-item and Multi-item Stroop Tasks

Performance, Hemodynamics, and Stress in a Two-Day Vigilance Task: Practical and Theoretical Implications

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