Effect of Visual Warning Cue on Sustained Attention Task Performance

In daily life we usually scan the environment in terms of critical events over non-critical events. The ability to detect and maintain attention for extended periods of time is referred as sustained attention or vigilance. The present study examined the effect of visual warning cue on sustained attention task performance. Twenty undergraduate students of Banaras Hindu University were randomly assigned mto two different experimental conditions. A 2 (warning cue: No warning, warning cue) x 4 (Block: 10 minute each) mixed factorial design with repeated measure on last factor was used. Super Lab software was used to design and conduct successive go/no-go visual sustained attention task. Reaction time, correct detection and incorrect detection were recorded as dependent measures. Findings revealed that participants took less time to respond, when warning cue was preceded the target. However, rate of correct detection and false alarm scores did not differ significantly under both conditions. Real world application of this research includes traffic system, system that requires operators to sustain attention to complex tasks while receiving and responding to warning.