Self-Estimates of Distractibility as Related to Performance Decrement on a Task Requiring Sustained Attention

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Abstract
Increasing automation of air traffic control tasks may have the undesirable side effect of increased monotony as a result of the anticipated reduction in task demands. Since individuals who are unable to sustain attention under low task-load conditions would appear to be more likely to commit errors and be less able to handle a sudden emergency situation, it would seem desirable to examine the characteristics of individuals unable to sustain attention under these conditions. In the present study, 50 subjects performed a monotonous, but perceptually demanding task, for approximately 30 minutes without rest. It was found that high-distractibility subjects (as determined from a questionnaire administered prior to the experiment) showed increasing lapses of attention during performance, while low-distractibility subjects failed to show any evidence of a decline in attention. Significant changes were obtained for respiration, respiration-period variability, heart-rate variability, and skin conductance during the task period, but the magnitude of these changes did not differ among the two distractibility groups.