FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute

Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-72/25

Title and Subtitle: Self-estimate of distractibility as related to performance decrement on a task requiring sustained attention

Report Date: June 1972

Authors: Thackray RI, Jones KN, Touchstone RM

Abstract: Increasing automation of air traffic control tasks may have the undesirable side effect of increased monotony as a result of the anticipated reduction in task demands. 50 subjects performed a monotonous, but perceptually demanding task, for approximately 30 minutes without rest.

It was found that high-distractibility subjects (as determined from a questionnaire administered prior to the experiment) showed increasing lapses of attention during performance, while low-distractibility subjects failed to show any evidence of a decline in attention. Significant changes were obtained for respiration, respiration-period variability, heart-rate variability, and skin conductance during the task period, but the magnitude of these changes did not differ among the two distractibility groups.

Key Words: Attention, Distractibility, Monotony, Vigilance

No. of Pages: 8