Differential Effects of ‘Noise’ Stress and Workload on Salience and Hemispace Bias in a Screen-Based Target Acquisition Task

Abstract

Attentional biases in stressed or overworked radar operators (airborne or in Combat Information Centers, etc.) may have important operational implications. This study examined the effects of workload and non-workload-related stress on salience bias in a screen-based target selection and engagement task. Results in the control condition confirmed that appreciable baseline salience bias existed. Moreover, in the non-task-related stress condition (noise/anxiety), a significant increase in salience bias was observed. Elevated workload, in contrast, was associated with no significant changes in salience bias. Overall, the results showed stable individual differences in salience bias and suggested that non-workload related stress influenced ‘high bias’ individuals proportionately more than ‘low bias’ individuals-an outcome with potential implications for selection. Subjects were also significantly biased toward the left hemispace, a powerful effect that remained even after the experiment was repeated using subjects’ left instead of right hands.