In 2 studies, isolated 5s (N = 59), while undergoing 4 days of dark, quiet sensory deprivation (SD), exhibited superior auditory vigilance compared with that shown by non-deprived controls (N = 76). This finding contrasts with the usual reports of performance decrements attributed to SD. There are indications that performance on such tests may be quite different when measured post-isolation rather than during isolation. Reasons for the apparent differences are discussed, as are the concepts of arousal, stimulus hunger, and dis-tractibility, which appear to be useful in understanding these vigilance results.
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