What is the Origin of Sustained Vigilance?

This concept is a fundamental construct in cognitive psychology and human factors research, originally derived from studies examining the performance of individuals in monitoring roles, such as air traffic control or quality inspection. The term highlights the endurance aspect of focused attention.

What is the Mechanism of Sustained Vigilance?

Sustained vigilance is neurologically supported by the ascending arousal systems, particularly the cholinergic pathways originating in the basal forebrain, which modulate the overall excitability and tone of the cerebral cortex. Adequate and stable release of acetylcholine is crucial for maintaining the necessary baseline cortical arousal that prevents performance decrement and ensures the reliable and rapid detection of critical signals against a background of non-salient stimuli.

Sustained Vigilance

Meaning

Sustained Vigilance is a clinical term describing the high-level cognitive capacity to maintain a state of continuous, non-fatiguing readiness and reliably detect subtle, often infrequent changes or signals in the external environment or a monitored task over a prolonged duration. This state is critical for tasks requiring consistent monitoring and quick, accurate response to critical events. It represents a fundamental aspect of human performance.