On the nature of vigilance

Abstract

Objective: I explore the origins, theoretical underpinnings, applications, and importance of vigilance in a world ever more dominated by semiautomated, automated, and autonomous machines. Background: The empirical genesis of vigilance is taken as a case study in the etiology of the application of the behavioral sciences to the human culture of technology. The subsequent taxonomic ordering and theoretical clarification of its causal antecedents are set in the overall context of contemporary human–machine systems research. Method: The methods exercised in this work are historical analysis and informational synthesis in combination with projected theoretical implications and impact. Results: The profile of evolution of the concept of vigilance is clarified and cast in the light of critical events, such as the promulgation of the vigilance taxonomy, its linkage to attentional resource theory, and the recognition that the attendant performance decrement is as indicative of iatrogenic sources as it is a shortfall or limitation of the observer’s processing capacity. Conclusion: Vigilance is alive and growing in importance. Understanding sustained attention will become ever more critical in the humanization of automation-dominated systems. Application: The application of vigilance is widespread and potentially ubiquitous for semiautomated, automated, and autonomous system interaction.