BY JACQUELINE CHERRY
In reviewing previous studies Sawin and Scerbo (1995) discovered that there have been many studies related to environmental stressors but not very much is known about cognitive stressors such as boredom and command pressure. In this study Sawin and Scerbo (1995) proposed that "variance in boredom associated with the variance in vigilance performance can be predicted by assessing boredom proneness" (p. 756).
Sawin and Scerbo (1995) tested subjects to put them into either the high boredom proneness (BP) or low BP groups. They then had two different instruction conditions for the vigilance task. The subjects were randomly assigned into either the detection-emphasis instruction condition or the relaxation-emphasis instruction condition. The detection-emphasis condition subjects were instructed to "pay close attention" and "respond to as many signals as possible". Whereas the relaxation-emphasis condition subjects were instructed that this was a relaxation activity and to "relax by focusing on the display" and to respond if they saw a signal. The display was a blue-green computer screen and the signal was a flicker in the computer screen. The results showed that after completing the exercise the relaxation-emphasis subjects showed lower levels of stress than before the exercise, whereas the detection-emphasis subjects showed the same stress levels as before. Also low BP subjects outperformed high BP subjects. The results also show that the instructions given to subjects at the outset of a vigilance experiment affect their ratings of stress, workload, and frustration. This study indicates that phrases such as "respond as soon as you can" and "critical signal" may increase stress on the individual worker and make for higher stress and workload ratings.
Another indication of this study is that a simple change in instructions can make the workload less effortful and less frustrating and change how the individual thinks about the vigilance task.
REFERENCE
Sawin, David A. and Scerbo, Mark W., (1995). Effects of Instruction Type and Boredom Proneness in Vigilance: Implications for Boredom and Workload. Human Factors, 37(4), 752-765.