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Attention and Vigilance

A Large Scale Workplace Study

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Proceedings of the 20th Congress of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA 2018) (IEA 2018)

Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 827))

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Abstract

Many previous studies have examined the effect of working environment on job performance. However, these are usually site-specific experiments examining office workers, concentrating on self-report measures and peer assessments. An area of particular interest is whether computerised tests could be used to identify deficits in performance and associate these with specific environmental problems.

We recruited over four hundred participants from several companies in Singapore, spanning a range of job types requiring different levels of visual attention, broadly grouped as technical workshop staff, office staff, and operational control room workers. Where possible, job types were matched across companies. Participants were given a series of psychological, environmental, and health-related questionnaires and computerised tests examining various aspects of visual attention (psychomotor vigilance task, go-nogo task and global-local change detection) as analogues of work performance.

Mixed effect models were used to examine the workers’ performance, taking into account work-related, environmental, and health related factors. Results indicate variability across companies and job types, effects of shift work, and some effects of environment on vigilant and selective attention.

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Acknowledgements

This material is based on research/work supported by the Land and Liveability National Innovation Challenge under L2 NIC Award No. L2NICCFP1-2013-2. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the L2 NIC.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore

    Adam C. Roberts, Hui-Shan Yap & Chee-Kiong Soh

  2. Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore

    Adam C. Roberts & George I. Christopoulos

  3. Health Services and Outcomes Research Programme, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore

    Josip Car

  4. Humanities and Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore

    Kian-Woon Kwok

Authors
  1. Adam C. Roberts
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  2. George I. Christopoulos
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  3. Hui-Shan Yap
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  4. Josip Car
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  5. Kian-Woon Kwok
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  6. Chee-Kiong Soh
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Adam C. Roberts .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of the Republic of San Marino, San Marino, San Marino

    Sebastiano Bagnara

  2. Centre for Clinical Risk Management and Patient Safety, Tuscany Region, Florence, Italy

    Riccardo Tartaglia

  3. Centre for Clinical Risk Management and Patient Safety, Tuscany Region, Florence, Italy

    Sara Albolino

  4. Fraunhofer FKIE, Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    Thomas Alexander

  5. International Ergonomics Association, Tokyo, Japan

    Yushi Fujita

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Roberts, A.C., Christopoulos, G.I., Yap, HS., Car, J., Kwok, KW., Soh, CK. (2019). Attention and Vigilance. In: Bagnara, S., Tartaglia, R., Albolino, S., Alexander, T., Fujita, Y. (eds) Proceedings of the 20th Congress of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA 2018). IEA 2018. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 827. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96059-3_17

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