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CISDOC database

Document ID (ISN)49979
CIS number 88-1328
ISSN - Serial title 0018-7208 - Human Factors
Year 1986
Convention or series no.
Author(s) Koelega H.S., Brinkman J.A.
Title Noise and vigilance: An evaluative review
Bibliographic information Aug. 1986, Vol.28, No.4, p.465-481. 121 ref.
Abstract The literature on the effects of noise on monitoring performance shows a disappointing lack of consistency. The hypothesis of the present study was that task classification in terms of demands made on the observer should reconcile conflicting findings. Twenty-one sensory vigilance studies, selected from 98 visual performance experiments, were analysed in detail. Even when studies possess similar task characteristics, they are hard to compare due to the many types of noise variables involved and the measures of performance used. It was concluded that nothing is known about the effects of variable noise on sustained attention, despite the importance of this kind of noise for everyday life. Disparate task definitions contribute to variable or inconsistent results in vigilance, so it does not make sense to search for the effect of independent variables on "vigilance".
Descriptors (primary) vigilance; noise
Descriptors (secondary) human experiments; literature survey
Document type D - Periodical articles
Subject(s) Noise, hearing and vibration
Broad subject area(s) Physical hazards
Browse category(ies) Noise
Vigilance