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Light Effects on Behavioural Performance Depend on the Individual State of Vigilance
- Source :
- PLoS ONE, Vol 11, Iss 11, p e0164945 (2016), PLoS ONE
- Publication Year :
- 2016
- Publisher :
- Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2016.
-
Abstract
- Research has shown that exposure to bright white light or blue-enriched light enhances alertness, but this effect is not consistently observed in tasks demanding high-level cognition (e.g., Sustained Attention to Response Task—SART, which measures inhibitory control). Individual differences in sensitivity to light effects might be mediated by variations in the basal level of arousal. We tested this hypothesis by measuring the participants’ behavioural state of vigilance before light exposure, through the Psychomotor Vigilance Task. Then we compared the effects of a blue-enriched vs. dim light at nighttime on the performance of the auditory SART, by controlling for individual differences in basal arousal. The results replicated the alerting effects of blue-enriched light, as indexed by lower values of both proximal temperature and distal-proximal gradient. The main finding was that lighting effects on SART performance were highly variable across individuals and depended on their prior state of vigilance. Specifically, participants with higher levels of basal vigilance before light exposure benefited most from blue-enriched lighting, responding faster in the SART. These results highlight the importance of considering basal vigilance to define the boundary conditions of light effects on cognitive performance. Our study adds to current research delineating the complex and reciprocal interactions between lighting effects, arousal, cognitive task demands and behavioural performance.
- Subjects :
- Male
Light
Physiology
Social Sciences
lcsh:Medicine
Poison control
Body Temperature
0302 clinical medicine
Surveys and Questionnaires
Medicine and Health Sciences
Psychology
Attention
lcsh:Science
media_common
Multidisciplinary
Physics
Electromagnetic Radiation
05 social sciences
Vigilance Decrement
Cognition
Physiological Parameters
Physical Sciences
Auditory Perception
Vigilance (Psychology)
Female
Arousal
Research Article
Vigilance (psychology)
Cognitive psychology
Auditory perception
media_common.quotation_subject
050105 experimental psychology
Young Adult
03 medical and health sciences
Humans
0501 psychology and cognitive sciences
Effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance
Behavior
lcsh:R
Cognitive Psychology
Psychomotor vigilance task
Biology and Life Sciences
Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation
Alertness
Cognitive Science
lcsh:Q
Physiological Processes
Sleep
Skin Temperature
030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Neuroscience
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 19326203
- Volume :
- 11
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- PLOS ONE
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....2b62670a1e7a90820f6d32429fa1645c