Keywords

vigilance, workload, stress, remote work

Abstract

Previous research has highlighted key taxonomic factors that have been found to influence human performance on vigilance tasks. However, previous literature has focused on research conducted in laboratory settings but has not examined vigilance tasks in remote environments. The present dissertation addresses this gap in the literature by examining human performance on a remote vigilance task, as well as workload and stress associated with the task. Qualitative data were collected to further understand the environment and distractions that participants experienced. Across three experiments, 372 participants were asked to complete a vigilance task and answer surveys pertaining to stress, workload, and ambient distractions. Experiment one manipulated the taxonomic factors of event rate and signal discrimination. Next, experiment two manipulated the taxonomic factors of event rate and source complexity. Finally, experiment three manipulated the taxonomic factors of event rate and task type. Across all three experiments, results identified significant differences in performance for the low and high event rate conditions, which are consistent with previous findings. Furthermore, signal discrimination type, source complexity, and task type (i.e., sensory vs. cognitive) resulted in significant differences between groups on measures of performance. All three experiments reported changes in perceived stress and increases in perceived workload. Ambient distractions, when they occurred, did impact performance, but only for experiment two. Overall, this study provides further support for several facets of the vigilance taxonomy and attempts to understand the impact of remote environments and ambient distractions on vigilance performance. Thus, these findings are advancing our understanding of the vigilance taxonomy and how environmental effects may influence human performance.

Completion Date

2023

Semester

Fall

Committee Chair

Szalma, James

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Psychology

Degree Program

Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

DP0028098

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0028098

Language

English

Release Date

December 2023

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

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