The Eye Blink and Workload Considerations

1984 ◽  
Vol 28 (11) ◽  
pp. 942-944 ◽  
Author(s):  
John A. Stern ◽  
June J. Skelly
Keyword(s):  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
High Fidelity ◽  
Time On Task ◽  
Blink Rate ◽  
Complex Environments ◽  
Eye Blink ◽  
Task Effects ◽  
Two Parameters ◽  
Task Modality

Two parameters of the eye blink, blink rate and blink duration, were used to assess workload in two independent operational studies. Both studies involved high fidelity strategic bomber mission simulations. The first study was an extended wartime mission where workload was evaluated during mission segments. The second study involved shorter, discrete training missions where task difficulty was systematically manipulated. Both studies produced complementary results. Results show that: (1) blink rate is significantly affected by task demands; (2) blink rate is sensitive to task modality; (3) blink duration is significantly affected by task modality and complexity; and (4) blink duration is a sensitive index of time on task effects. These data support the use of eye blink measurement in “noisy” complex environments as both a feasible and valuable assessment technique.

scholarly journals The Roles Of Cognitive Load and Appraisal Of Task Difficulty In Predicting Subjective Fatigue And Subsequent Task Disengagement

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole E. Carmona
Keyword(s):  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Central Fatigue ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cognitive Resources ◽  
Time On Task ◽  
Subsequent Effect ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Subsequent Task

Central fatigue refers to an inability to sustain mental or physical performance in self-initiated tasks and an increased perception of effort (Chaudhuri & Behan, 2000), suggesting that fatigue results from a mismatch between the perceived resources needed to initiate a task and the availability of cognitive resources available to complete it. Consequently, fatigue may be considered a “stop-emotion” to preserve cognitive resources, resulting in task disengagement (Meijman, 2000). This study investigated: 1) the role of perceived cognitive resources in the development of mental fatigue by manipulating the task demands and appraisals of task difficulty, and 2) the subsequent effect of fatigue on task engagement. Fatigue increased and cognitive resources decreased with time on task, rather than as a result of the task demands × instruction of task difficulty interaction. Increases in fatigue did not predict measures of engagement in almost all cases. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

scholarly journals Monitoring Brain State and Behavioral Performance during Repetitive Visual Stimulation

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (23) ◽  
pp. 11544
Author(s):  
Alexander K. Kuc ◽  
Semen A. Kurkin ◽  
Vladimir A. Maksimenko ◽  
Alexander N. Pisarchik ◽  
Alexander E. Hramov
Keyword(s):  
Visual Stimulation ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Decision Time ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Brain State ◽  
Time On Task ◽  
Behavioral Performance ◽  
Task Effects ◽  
Perceptual Performance ◽  
Eeg Power

We tested whether changes in prestimulus neural activity predict behavioral performance (decision time and errors) during a prolonged visual task. The task was to classify ambiguous stimuli—Necker cubes; manipulating the degree of ambiguity from low ambiguity (LA) to high ambiguity (HA) changed the task difficulty. First, we assumed that the observer’s state changes over time, which leads to a change in the prestimulus brain activity. Second, we supposed that the prestimulus state produces a different effect on behavioral performance depending on the task demands. Monitoring behavioral responses, we revealed that the observer’s decision time decreased for both LA and HA stimuli during the task performance. The number of perceptual errors lowered for HA, but not for LA stimuli. EEG analysis revealed an increase in the prestimulus 9–11 Hz EEG power with task time. Finally, we found associations between the behavioral and neural estimates. The prestimulus EEG power negatively correlated with the decision time for LA stimuli and the erroneous responses rate for HA stimuli. The obtained results confirm that monitoring prestimulus EEG power enables predicting perceptual performance on the behavioral level. The observed different time-on-task effects on the LA and HA stimuli processing may shed light on the features of ambiguous perception.

scholarly journals Now it’s your turn!: Eye blink rate in a Jenga task modulated by interaction of task wait times, effortful control, and internalizing behaviors

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelley Gunther ◽  
Xiaoxue Fu ◽  
Leigha A. MacNeill ◽  
Morgan Jones ◽  
Briana Ermanni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Effortful Control ◽  
Ecological Validity ◽  
Internalizing Behaviors ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Blink Rate ◽  
Eye Blink ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Midbrain Dopamine ◽  
Dopamine Signaling

Dopamine is a versatile neurotransmitter with implications in many domains, including anxiety and effortful control. Where high levels of effortful control are often regarded as adaptive, other work suggests that high levels of effortful control may be a risk factor for anxiety. Dopamine signaling may be key in understanding these relations. Eye blink rate is a non-invasive proxy metric of midbrain dopamine activity. However, much work with eye blink rate has been constrained to screen-based tasks which lack in ecological validity. We tested whether changes in eye blink rate during a naturalistic effortful control task differ as a function of parent-reported effortful control and internalizing behaviors. Children played a Jenga-like game with an experimenter, but for each trial the experimenter took an increasingly long time to take their turn. Blinks-per-second were computed during each wait period. Multilevel modeling examined the relation between duration of wait period, effortful control, and internalizing behaviors on eye blink rate. We found a significant 3-way interaction between effortful control, internalizing behaviors, and duration of the wait period. Probing this interaction revealed that for children with low reported internalizing behaviors (-1 SD) and high reported effortful control (+1 SD), eye blink rate significantly decreased as they waited longer to take their turn. These findings index task-related changes in midbrain dopamine activity in relation to naturalistic task demands, and that these changes may vary as a function of individual differences in effortful control and internalizing behaviors. We discuss possible top-down mechanisms that may underlie these differences.

scholarly journals The Roles Of Cognitive Load and Appraisal Of Task Difficulty In Predicting Subjective Fatigue And Subsequent Task Disengagement

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole E. Carmona
Keyword(s):  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Central Fatigue ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cognitive Resources ◽  
Time On Task ◽  
Subsequent Effect ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Subsequent Task

Central fatigue refers to an inability to sustain mental or physical performance in self-initiated tasks and an increased perception of effort (Chaudhuri & Behan, 2000), suggesting that fatigue results from a mismatch between the perceived resources needed to initiate a task and the availability of cognitive resources available to complete it. Consequently, fatigue may be considered a “stop-emotion” to preserve cognitive resources, resulting in task disengagement (Meijman, 2000). This study investigated: 1) the role of perceived cognitive resources in the development of mental fatigue by manipulating the task demands and appraisals of task difficulty, and 2) the subsequent effect of fatigue on task engagement. Fatigue increased and cognitive resources decreased with time on task, rather than as a result of the task demands × instruction of task difficulty interaction. Increases in fatigue did not predict measures of engagement in almost all cases. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Effects of Vertical Viewing Angle on Eye Blink Rate during Computer Work

2000 ◽  
Vol 44 (21) ◽  
pp. 3-498-3-498
Author(s):  
Sol Solorzano ◽  
Paul Bommarito ◽  
Stephen Burastero
Keyword(s):  
Significant Interaction ◽  
Computer Work ◽  
Time On Task ◽  
Blink Rate ◽  
Viewing Angle ◽  
Subjective Ratings ◽  
Computer Screen ◽  
Eye Blinks ◽  
Task Effects ◽  
Four Levels

The effects of vertical viewing angles and eye blinking rate during computer work were investigated Twenty subjects read from a computer screen set at four levels of viewing angles. Eye blinks during reading tasks were measured by electrooculography. Subjective ratings on visual and musculoskeletal strain were obtained. Test hypotheses were: (a) blink rate does not change with variations of viewing angle, (b) blink rate does not change with time-on-task, and (c) there is no interaction between viewing angle and time-on-task effects. The results indicated that blink rate increases as the viewing angle approaches eye level, and that blink rate increases with time-on-task. No significant interaction was found between viewing angle and time-on-task. Results and subjective ratings support recommendations of VDT viewing angle range near 15° below eye level.

Staring Down Death

Crisis ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 212-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas E. Joiner ◽  
Melanie A. Hom ◽  
Megan L. Rogers ◽  
Carol Chu ◽  
Ian H. Stanley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Suicide Risk ◽  
Clinical Utility ◽  
Blink Rate ◽  
Specific Task ◽  
Careful Planning ◽  
Eye Blink ◽  
Eye Blinks ◽  
Potential Clinical Utility ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract. Background: Lowered eye blink rate may be a clinically useful indicator of acute, imminent, and severe suicide risk. Diminished eye blink rates are often seen among individuals engaged in heightened concentration on a specific task that requires careful planning and attention. Indeed, overcoming one’s biological instinct for survival through suicide necessitates premeditation and concentration; thus, a diminished eye blink rate may signal imminent suicidality. Aims: This article aims to spur research and clinical inquiry into the role of eye blinks as an indicator of acute suicide risk. Method: Literature relevant to the potential connection between eye blink rate and suicidality was reviewed and synthesized. Results: Anecdotal, cognitive, neurological, and conceptual support for the relationship between decreased blink rate and suicide risk is outlined. Conclusion: Given that eye blinks are a highly observable behavior, the potential clinical utility of using eye blink rate as a marker of suicide risk is immense. Research is warranted to explore the association between eye blink rate and acute suicide risk.

Time of day, time of sleep, and time on task effects on sleepiness and cognitive performance of bus drivers

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Maghsoudipour ◽  
Ramin Moradi ◽  
Sara Moghimi ◽  
Sonia Ancoli-Israel ◽  
Pamela N. DeYoung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Time On Task ◽  
Bus Drivers ◽  
Task Effects

What can size tell us about abstract conceptual processing?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Yao ◽  
Jack Edward Taylor ◽  
Sara C Sereno
Keyword(s):  
Congruency Effect ◽  
Lexical Processing ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Abstract Concepts ◽  
Physical Size ◽  
Conceptual Processing ◽  
Task Effects ◽  
Mental Worlds ◽  
Size Congruency

Embodied cognition theories propose that abstract concepts can be embodied via metaphorical extensions from experiences of the physical or the mental worlds. In three experiments, we explored how semantic size (e.g., the magnitude, dimension or extent of an object or a concept) of abstract concepts is mentally represented. We show that abstract size is metaphorically associated with the physical size of concrete objects (Experiment 1) and can produce a semantic-font size congruency effect comparable to that demonstrated in concrete words during online lexical processing (Experiment 2). Critically, this size congruency effect is large when a word is judged by its size but significantly smaller when it is judged by its emotionality (Experiment 3). Our results suggest that semantic size of abstract concepts can be represented in physical size and that such experiences are variably engaged under different task demands. The present findings advocate flexible embodiment of semantic representations, with an emphasis on the role of task effects on conceptual processing.

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