People with high self-control have increased performance and neural efficiency in temporally uncertain vigilance tasks

The vigilance decrement, the decline in behavioral adaptability seen after sustaining attention over time, has been a monumental problem in the applied sciences for the past 70 years. Trait selfcontrol is a measure of the general capability to regulate one’s own cognitive resources. In the present study, participants performed a 24-minute vigilance task that was either synchronous (temporally regular) or asynchronous (temporally irregular). We empirically investigated the effects of self-control, watch period, and event asynchrony on performance and neural resource expenditure through functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Here we demonstrate that trait self-control indexes an operator’s capability to prevent making false alarms. Additionally, we elaborate on the functional role of self-control in optimizing right parietal resource usage and subsequently, resilience against the vigilance decrement. Finally, we discuss theoretical and practical implications for Neuroergonomics practitioners.