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Mental effort affects vigilance enduringly: after-effects in EEG and behavior
Annika S Smit1, Paul A T M Eling, Anton M L Coenen
1NICI/Department of Biological Psychology, University of Nijmegen, Montessorilaan 3, P.O. Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands. a.smit@nici.kun.nl
Summary
Sustained mental effort reduces vigilance, as shown by increased theta power in EEG and errors on the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART). This indicates a lasting decrease in vigilance after demanding cognitive tasks.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psychophysiology
Background:
- Vigilance is traditionally assumed to decline with sustained task performance.
- EEG effects during mental tasks may confound vigilance decline with information processing demands.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of sustained mental effort on vigilance.
- To differentiate vigilance decline from information processing effects.
Main Methods:
- Assessed vigilance using EEG measures in a resting condition after a 70-min intelligence test.
- Evaluated behavioral performance on the Clock test and the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART).
Main Results:
- Increased theta power in EEG and higher error rates on the SART were observed after mental effort.
- Enhanced Beta2 power was also noted, suggesting concurrent processing changes.
Conclusions:
- Sustained mental effort leads to a persistent decrease in vigilance.
- Simultaneously, some aspects of active cognitive processing appear to be enhanced post-effort.