A long line of research has investigated vigilance decrement, the decline in the sustained attention performance over time. Overload perspectives suggest this decrement results from cognitive resource depletion because of task load, while underload perspectives attribute it to attention disengagement from tasks that are inherently underarousing and monotonous. Based on these two perspectives, this article investigates whether background music influences arousal and task load, thereby affecting vigilance performance. Across two experiments that were conducted in 2023 and 2024, we systematically examined the effects of music presence and different types of music (liked, disliked) on performance during an abbreviated and visually taxing vigilance task. We analyzed the roles of arousal, boredom, task load, task engagement, and personality traits (extraversion, boredom proneness). Our results did not fully align with either the overload or underload perspectives. We discuss these findings within alternative theoretical frameworks, offering new insights into the complex dynamics of vigilance and attention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
Sümer et al. (Mon,) studied this question.