Performance Decrements during Sustained Operations: The role of Practice and Task Structure,

Abstract

The requirement for continuous performance for extended periods of time has prompted both laboratory and field studies of the effects of SUSOPS on the performance of a variety of perceptual-motor and cognitive tasks. In the present study we systematically examine the role that practice and task structure play in the moderation of SUSOPS effects in long term memory (LTM), working memory (WM), and visual search processes. Dependent measures include reaction time, accuracy and measures of event-related brain potentials (ERPs). The results suggest that perceptual processes are most susceptible to SUSOPS effects and that proper training may minimize these effects. In recent years there has been a renewed interest in the effects of sustained operations (SUSOPS) on human performance. This interest can be attributed, in a large part, to the requirement for SUSOPS in both military and industrial settings. The requirement for continuous performance, often with little or no sleep, for extended periods of time has prompted both laboratory and field studies of the effects of SUSOPS on the performance of a variety of perceptual-motor and cognitive tasks (Hockey, 1986; Krueger, 1989). In the present study we systematically examine the role that practice and task structure play in the moderation of SUSOPS effects in long term memory (LTM), working memory (WM), and visual search processes.

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 17, 1992
Accession Number
ADP006945

Entities

People

  • A. F. Kramer
  • D. G. Humphrey
  • K. Travis
  • R. R. Stanny

Organizations

  • University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accuracy
  • Buildings And Structures
  • Colorado
  • Department Of Defense
  • Motor Skills
  • Psychological Phenomena And Processes
  • Psychology
  • Reaction Time
  • Training

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

Readers

  • Brain and Cognitive Science; Experimental Psychology; Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Circadian Sleep-Wake Regulation and Chronobiology
  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union