Effects of transcranial alternating current stimulation over right-DLPFC on vigilance tasks depend on the arousal level

Current theoretical accounts on the oscillatory nature of sustained attention predict that entrainment via transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) at alpha and theta frequencies on specific areas of the prefrontal cortex could prevent the drops in vigilance across time-on-task. Nonetheless, most previous studies have neglected both the fact that vigilance comprises two dissociable components (i.e., arousal and executive vigilance) and the potential role of differences in arousal levels. We examined the effects of theta- and alpha-tACS over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in both components of vigilance and in participants who differed in arousal level according to their chronotype and time of testing. Intermediate-types performed the vigilance tasks when their arousal level was optimal, whereas evening-types performed the vigilance tasks when their arousal levels were non-optimal. Both theta- and alpha-tACS improved arousal vigilance in the psychomotor vigilance task (PVT), whereas alpha-tACS, but not theta-tACS, improved executive vigilance in the sustained attention to response task (SART), and counteracted the typical vigilance decrement usually observed in this task. Importantly, these stimulation effects were only found when arousal was low (i.e., with evening-types performing the tasks at their non-optimal time of day). The results support the multicomponent view of vigilance, the relevance of heeding individual differences in arousal, and the role of alpha oscillations as a long-range cortical scale synchronization mechanism that compensates the decrements in performance as a function of time-on-task by exerting and maintaining cognitive control attributed to activation of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.

Learning Beliefs, Time on Platform, and Academic Performance During the COVID-19 in University STEM Students

Due to the closure of universities worldwide because of the COVID-19 pandemic, teaching methods were suddenly transformed to an emergency remote teaching (ERT) modality. Due to the practical nature of STEM courses, students cannot participate in activities in which manipulating objects is necessary for accomplishing learning objectives. In this study, we analyze the relation among STEM students learning beliefs at the beginning of ERT (T1) with their Learning Management systems (LMS) time-on-task and their final academic performance (T2) during the first semester of ERT. We used a prospective longitudinal design. 2063 students (32.3% females) from a university in Chile participated, where the academic year starts in March and finishes in December 2020. We assessed their learning and performance beliefs through an online questionnaire answered at the beginning of the academic period (T1). Then, using learning analytics, time invested in the CANVAS LMS and the academic performance achieved by students at the end of the semester (T2) were assessed. The results show that students mainly stated negative beliefs about learning opportunities during ERT (n = 1,396; 67.7%). In addition, 48.5% (n = 1,000) of students stated beliefs of “medium” academic performance for the first semester (T1). Students with lower learning beliefs at T1 spent less time in the LMS during the semester and had a lower academic performance at T2 than students who had higher learning beliefs at T1. The implications of these findings on the role of instructors and institutions of higher education are discussed.

Monitoring Brain State and Behavioral Performance during Repetitive Visual Stimulation

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.

An Evaluation of Sleepiness, Performance, and Workload Among Operators During a Real-Time Reactive Telerobotic Lunar Mission Simulation

Objective We assessed operator performance during a real-time reactive telerobotic lunar mission simulation to understand how daytime versus nighttime operations might affect sleepiness, performance, and workload. Background Control center operations present factors that can influence sleepiness, neurobehavioral performance, and workload. Each spaceflight mission poses unique challenges that make it difficult to predict how long operators can safely and accurately conduct operations. We aimed to evaluate the performance impact of time-on-task and time-of-day using a simulated telerobotic lunar rover to better inform staffing and scheduling needs for the upcoming Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission. Methods We studied seven trained operators in a simulated mission control environment. Operators completed two five-hour simulations in a randomized order, beginning at noon and midnight. Performance was evaluated every 25 minutes using the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, Psychomotor Vigilance Task, and NASA Task Load Index. Results Participants rated themselves as sleepier (5.06 ± 2.28) on the midnight compared to the noon simulation (3.12 ± 1.44; p < .001). Reaction time worsened over time during the midnight simulation but did not vary between simulations. Workload was rated higher during the noon (37.93 ± 20.09) compared to the midnight simulation (32.09 ± 21.74; p = .007). Conclusion Our findings suggest that work shifts during future operations should be limited in duration to minimize sleepiness. Our findings also suggest that working during the day, when distractions are present, increases perceived workload. Further research is needed to understand how working consecutive shifts and taking breaks within a shift influence performance.

Korelasi Antara Fixation Eye Tracking Metric dengan Performance Measurement Usability Testing

Not all websites have fulfilled basic principles such as accessible and easy to use (usable). There are several measuring methods that already exist. In this research, the measurement is done by combining 2 measuring methods namely usability testing and eye tracking because the measurement is done with props that are eye tracking, so that at the same time we can measure the indicator usability testing and eye tracking metrics. So researchers to know the level of relationship or correlation between usability testing indicators and eye tracking metrics. The type of research conducted is a type of associative research with quantitative and qualitative approaches. Where both of these methods will result in quantitative data such as time on task, difficulty ratings, fixation duration mean and time to first fixation. Qualitative Data is obtained from playing the recorded results and conducting interviews to examine the results of eye movements when testing is the same as the opinions or perceptions of each participant. Results of a correlation test Pearson product moment acquired correlation or relationship between time on task with fixation duration mean, time on task with time to first fixation, difficulty ratings with fixation duration mean, difficulty ratings with time to First fixation. There are two possibilities of usability measurement performance indicators with eye tracking proving a significant correlation means measurement of usability using eye tracking can be used as an alternative in doing more usability measurement Accurate with significance levels > 2.048 in subsequent studies.

Propensity to intentional and unintentional mind-wandering differs in arousal and executive vigilance tasks

We typically observe a decrement in vigilance with time-on-task, which favors the propensity for mind-wandering, i.e., the shifting of attention from the task at hand to task-unrelated thoughts. Here, we examined participants’ mind-wandering, either intentional or unintentional, while performing vigilance tasks that tap different components of vigilance. Intentional mind-wandering is expected mainly when the arousal component is involved, whereas unintentional mind-wandering is expected mainly in tasks involving the executive component. The Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT) assessed the arousal component, whereas the Sustained Attention to Response task (SART) assessed the executive component of vigilance. The two types of mind-wandering were probed throughout task execution. The results showed that the overall rate of mind-wandering was higher in the PVT than in the SART. Intentional mind-wandering was higher with the PVT than with the SART, whereas unintentional mind-wandering was higher with the SART than with the PVT. Regarding mind-wandering as a function of vigilance decrement with time-on-task, unintentional mind-wandering in the PVT increased between blocks 1 and 2 and then stabilized, whereas a progressive increase was observed in the SART. Regarding intentional mind-wandering, a progressive increase was only observed in the SART. The differential patterns of intentional and unintentional mind-wandering in both tasks suggest that, intentional mind wandering occurs mainly in arousal tasks in which propensity to mind-wander has little impact on task performance. However, unintentional mind-wandering occurs mainly in executive tasks as a result of a failure of cognitive control, which promotes attentional resources to be diverted toward mind-wandering. These results are discussed in the context of the resource-control model of mind-wandering.

Cultivating a Culture of Bilingualism: Evaluating a Home Language Arts Curriculum for SIFE

This study is a mixed-methods exploratory study of a Spanish Home Language Arts (HLA) pilot curriculum designed for Students with Interrupted Education (SIFE) as it was implemented across six different schools in New York State during the 2019–2020 school year before the onset of COVID-19. The focus of the study was to observe whether the HLA curriculum improved teacher practice in the increased use of the gradual release of responsibility and the curriculum-prescribed protocols. Another goal was to examine whether the use of the curriculum helped to improve student writing and bilingual literacy. A final goal of the study was to survey teachers on their perceptions of the curriculum, especially in how the lesson design fostered student engagement and collaboration with others. The results of the internal evaluation showed that the teachers improved in their practice, especially in the areas of gradual release and increased student time on task. The students were able to develop specific text analysis and writing skills using instructional protocols used in the home language and in English that were transferable across classroom contexts. In addition, the lessons encouraged students to leverage literacy skills and background knowledge in Spanish as a way to support learning new skills in both Spanish and English. Finally, the study showed that the use of the curriculum increased student engagement and collaboration in the classroom.

Instructional Level and Engagement in Students With Behavioral Disorders

This study examined the effects of adjusting the difficulty level of instructional materials on the time on-task and comprehension of four students with emotional and behavioral disorders. All participants previously exhibited low rates of on-task behavior during reading assignments. Students were presented with reading materials at their instructional, frustration, and independent levels to assess the effect on time on-task and comprehension. All four students demonstrated the highest percent of on-task behavior when presented with reading materials at their instructional level. Comprehension scores were highest for all four students at the independent level and lowest at the frustration level.

P090 The Effect of Workload, Sleep Deprivation and Time of Day on Simulated Driving Performance

Sustained operations expose individuals to long work periods, which deteriorates their ability to sustain attention. Biological factors, including sleep deprivation and time of day, have been shown to play a critical role in the ability to sustain attention. However, a gap in the literature exists regarding external factors, such as workload. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the combined effect of sleep deprivation, time of day, and workload on sustained attention. Twenty-one participants (18–34y, 10 F) were exposed to 62 hours of sleep deprivation within a controlled laboratory environment. Every 8 hours, sustained attention was measured using a 30-minute monotonous driving task, and subjective workload was measured using the NASA-Task Load Index (TLX). Workload, defined as time on task was assessed by splitting the drive into two 15-minute loops. A mixed model ANOVA revealed significant main effects of day (sleep deprivation) and time of day on lane deviation, number of crashes, speed deviation and time outside the safe zone (all p&lt;.001). There was a significant main effect of workload (time on task) on lane deviation (p=.042), indicating that a longer time on task resulted in greater lane deviation. NASA-TLX scores significantly increased with sleep deprivation (p&lt;.001), indicating that subjective workload increased with sleep loss even though the task remained constant. Workload, sleep deprivation and time of day produced a deterioration in sustained attention. With this, countermeasures that not only consider sleep deprivation and time of day, but also workload (time on task) can be considered.