Abstract
In an attempt to ascertain strategies used during a Mackworth clock-test vigilance task, we had 128 men, 18 to 89 years old, answer a series of open-ended questions immediately following the task. Each of the posttask response protocols was assigned to one of six strategies by two judges. Age was not related to the strategy used, but strategy was found to be significantly related to target detection accuracy. Strategies based upon active mental involvement in the vigilance task produced the greatest level of target detection, whereas a strategy based only upon self- arousal manipulation through limited physical movement produced the poorest target detection. Strategy had no effect on the time course of performance.
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The authors would like to acknowledge the help of J. Heller, who ran some of the subjects in the Mackworth clock-test.
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Giambra, L.M., Quilter, R.E., Phillips, P.B. et al. Performance on a sustained attention task as a function of strategy: A cross-sectional investigation using the Mackworth clock-test. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 26, 333–335 (1988). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03337673
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03337673