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Daily arousal variation has little effect on sustained attention performance
Isobel G Bond1, Keitaro Machida1, Katherine A Johnson1
1Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010 Australia.
Current Psychology (New Brunswick, N.J.)
|June 26, 2023
Summary
This study found that arousal levels, measured by the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS), did not significantly impact sustained attention performance, as measured by the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) in adults.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psychophysiology
Background:
- Sustained attention is crucial for daily functioning.
- Arousal is theorized to influence sustained attention, with primate studies suggesting an inverted-U relationship.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between arousal and sustained attention performance in humans.
- To examine both within-participant and between-participant variations in this relationship.
Main Methods:
- Employed the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) to measure sustained attention.
- Utilized the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) to assess arousal levels.
- Conducted a small-N within-participant study and a larger between-participant study.
Main Results:
- A significant curvilinear variation in KSS was observed across the day in the small-N study.
- A linear association was found between SART response time variability and KSS, but no other consistent associations.
- No significant relations were found between SART measures and KSS in the large-N study.
Conclusions:
- The hypothesized inverted-U relationship between arousal and sustained attention was not supported in humans.
- Diurnal variations in arousal do not appear to significantly modify sustained attention performance in adults.
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