Impulsive responding and the sustained attention to response task

Abstract

Two studies investigated whether the sustained attention to response task (SART) is a better measure of impulsive responding than of sustained attention. Participants performed target detection tasks with global–local letter stimuli using one of two response formats: standard, responding to targets; and SART, withholding to targets. In the first experiment, performance in the SART changed rapidly over time, whereas performance in the standard format was stable over time. In the second experiment, performance in the SART was susceptible to global–local condensation tasks, a result previously found with highly impulsive individuals. Overall the results indicate that the SART is sensitive to impulsive responding.

Keywords:

• Attention
• Impulsivity
• Mindlessness
• Vigilance

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Department of Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) administered by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (FA-9550-07-1-0500), W. S. Helton Principal Investigator. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.

I would like to thank Willard Larkin for providing administrative direction for this grant. In addition, I would like to thank Nicole Lopez and Sarah Tamminga for their assistance in data collection.