Relationships of intermittent noise, intersignal interval, and skin conductance to vigilance behavior

Abstract

Army enlisted men individually monitored a CRT screen for 3 hr. in isolation. 1 of 3 signal schedules dittering in degree of intersignal interval (ISI) variability was paired with presence or absence of intermittent noise to provide 6 monitoring conditions. 6 Ss performed under each condition. Reaction time to signals and skin conductance were recorded during the vigil. Results indicated that (a) noise impaired performance when the schedule with minimum ISI was monitored. (b) detection time was inversely related to length of ISI for schedules with minimum and intermediate degrees of ISI variability, (c) conductance was negatively correlated with reaction time for Ss exhibiting an extreme decrement under the schedule with maximum degree of ISI variability. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)