Performance on tasks tends to change with time-on-task, usually for the worse. Two seemingly contradictory patterns of behavior are reported for these "vigilance decrements." Over the past 70 years, the more common vigilance decrement involves a decrease in signal detection associated with an increase in response times. In contrast, search tasks such as industrial inspection or X-ray screening produce vigilance decrements that involve a decrease in signal detection associated with a decrease in response times. Subjects respond faster with increasing time-on-task. Three experiments reported here were designed to explain these contrasting performance patterns. The results rule out task-type (search vs. nonsearch detection) and whether trials were paced versus unpaced by the computer as causes of these divergent response-time patterns. Instead, response structure-how subjects respond to the presence and absence of the critical signal-is the primary cause of this phenomenon. These results do not support traditional resource-depletion or under-stimulation theories of the vigilance decrement. Instead, I propose a dynamic-allocation resource theory in which the attention system uses various tactics to strategically disengage from tasks that provide low payoff across time-on-task. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

中文翻译：

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警戒递减任务中不同的响应时间模式。

任务的表现往往会随着任务时间而变化，通常会变得更糟。这些“警惕性下降”报告了两种看似矛盾的行为模式。在过去的 70 年中，更常见的警觉性下降涉及与响应时间增加相关的信号检测减少。相比之下，工业检查或 X 射线筛查等搜索任务会产生警戒性下降，这涉及与响应时间减少相关的信号检测减少。随着任务时间的增加，受试者的反应会更快。这里报告的三个实验旨在解释这些对比的性能模式。结果排除了任务类型（搜索与非搜索检测）以及试验是否由计算机进行节奏与不节奏作为这些不同响应时间模式的原因。相反，反应结构——受试者如何对临界信号的存在和缺失作出反应——是这种现象的主要原因。这些结果不支持警惕性降低的传统资源消耗或刺激不足理论。相反，我提出了一种动态分配资源理论，其中注意力系统使用各种策略战略性地脱离在任务时间内提供低回报的任务。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2020 APA，保留所有权利）。我提出了一种动态分配资源理论，其中注意力系统使用各种策略战略性地脱离在任务时间内提供低回报的任务。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2020 APA，保留所有权利）。我提出了一种动态分配资源理论，其中注意力系统使用各种策略战略性地脱离在任务时间内提供低回报的任务。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2020 APA，保留所有权利）。