Further Tests of an Abbreviated Vigilance Task: Effects of Signal Salience and Jet Aircraft Noise on Performance and Stress

The effects of signal salience and jet-aircraft noise on performance and self-reports of stress were examined in an abbreviated vigilance task (12 min) that duplicates many of the findings with longer duration vigilance tasks (Temple et al., 2000). As is the case with longer vigils, signal detection in the abbreviated task was poorer for low salience than for high salience signals and stress scores, as indexed by the Dundee Stress State Questionnaire (Matthews, Joiner, Gilliland, Campbell, & Falconer, 1999), were generally greater when observers were required to detect low as compared to high salience signals. Unlike longer vigils, however, signal detection in the abbreviated task was superior in the presence of noise than in quiet, and noise generally attenuated self-reports of stress. The beneficial effect of jet-aircraft noise for the abbreviated task differentiates it from longer vigilance tasks and suggests that noise may have short-term positive value in vigilance.