Cerebral Hemovelocity and the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART)

Abstract

Vigilance tasks in the traditional format (TVF) require observers to respond to critical signals on their monitored displays and withhold responding to neutral events. The Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) features the opposite response requirements which supposedly lead it to promote a mindless, non-thoughtful approach to the vigilance task. To test that possibility, this study compared the SART to the TVF in terms of cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) secured in the performance of a simulated UAV monitoring assignment. Previous studies have consistently shown that CBFV declines significantly over time for observers who monitor in the TVF while it remains temporally stable in control observers who view the display without a work imperative – perhaps a maximum case of mindlessness. In the present study, CBFV declined over time in a similar manner for observers performing under SART and TVF conditions while it remained stable over time for non-engaged controls. The results are consistent with studies using psychophysical, workload, and stress measures that challenge the view that the SART is an engine of mindlessness.