Predicting Performance, Subjective States and Coping Strategy in a Vigilance Task: the Role of Individual Differences

The purpose for the present study was to examine how person and task characteristics affected the performance, workload, and stress of vigilance. Task type (sensory versus cognitive) and source complexity (1, 2, or 4 displays to be monitored) were the dimensions of vigilance examined, and several person characteristics selected based on an energetic-resource approach to vigilance. Relationships with cognitive traits were mostly influenced by task type and those of affective traits were moderated by both task and source complexity. Across outcome measures and predictors, the general pattern of results confirmed the argument that separate treatment of either task properties or task characteristics yields at best a limited understanding of the performance, workload, and stress associated with vigilance. Programmatic research should therefore examine trait-task interactions for specific combinations of taxonomic categories.