Vigilance. In modern psychology, vigilance, also termed sustained concentration, is defined as the ability to maintain concentrated attention over prolonged periods of time.
During this time, the person attempts to detect the appearance of a particular target stimulus. The individual watches for a signal stimulus that may occur at an unknown time.
The study of vigilance has expanded since the 1940s mainly due to the increased interaction of people with machines for applications involving monitoring and detection of rare events and weak signals. Such applications include air traffic control, inspection and quality control, automated navigation, military and border surveillance, and lifeguarding.
The systematic study of vigilance was initiated by Norman Mackworth during World War II. Mackworth authored The breakdown of vigilance during prolonged visual search in 1948 and this paper is the seminal publication on vigilance. Mackworth's 1948 study investigated the tendency of radar and sonar operators to miss rare irregular event detections near the end of their watch.
Mackworth simulated rare irregular events on a radar display by having the test participants watch an unmarked clock face over a 2-hour period. A single clock hand moved in small equal increments around the clock face, with the exception of occasional larger jumps. This device became known as the Mackworth Clock. Participants we
During this time, the person attempts to detect the appearance of a particular target stimulus. The individual watches for a signal stimulus that may occur at an unknown time.
The study of vigilance has expanded since the 1940s mainly due to the increased interaction of people with machines for applications involving monitoring and detection of rare events and weak signals. Such applications include air traffic control, inspection and quality control, automated navigation, military and border surveillance, and lifeguarding.
The systematic study of vigilance was initiated by Norman Mackworth during World War II. Mackworth authored The breakdown of vigilance during prolonged visual search in 1948 and this paper is the seminal publication on vigilance. Mackworth's 1948 study investigated the tendency of radar and sonar operators to miss rare irregular event detections near the end of their watch.
Mackworth simulated rare irregular events on a radar display by having the test participants watch an unmarked clock face over a 2-hour period. A single clock hand moved in small equal increments around the clock face, with the exception of occasional larger jumps. This device became known as the Mackworth Clock. Participants we
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