Beyond the Vigilance End-Spurt with Event-Related Potentials

Abstract

As task environments become more automated and operators become more passive monitors, it is important to understand the underlying mechanisms of the vigilance decrement to help inform task development and interventions. Some vigilance studies have reported an end-spurt effect, where performance increases at the end of the task. This is commonly purported to be the result of increased resources from motivation or arousal; however, self-regulation of attentional resources throughout the vigil has not been addressed. To provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the vigilance decrement, we utilize event-related potentials to examine the vigilance decrement beyond the end-spurt. Thirty-two individuals aged 18 – 36 (M = 22.60; SD = 4.08) completed a vigilance task with an unknown end time while EEG data was collected. Results revealed non-monotonic trends in N1 and P3 components, suggesting that individuals might self-regulate resources during the vigil, adapting to the constraints of the task environment.