"This report describes the second of two studies of vigilance in connection with a road test sponsored by the American Association of State Highway Officials and administered by the Highway Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Army drivers operated trucks over experimental highways (Nov 1958 to Nov 1960) under conditions conducive to boredom and fatigue -- characteristic of many Army monitoring jobs. The primary objective of this study was to determine which, if any, of several well-known psychological domains hold most promise for prediction of vigilance performance. A total of 39 predictor and 2 reference measures, grouped into 8 predictor clusters and a single reference cluster, were administered. In general, both reliability and validity coefficients were low. The most promising predictors were the Personality, Personal History, Driver Aptitude, and Perceptual Speed clusters. The Cognitive, Physical, Psychomotor, and Attitudinal clusters were least promising. In spite of large and fairly stable individual differences in detection performance, the highly specific nature of the criterion and possible subject-task interaction appears to restrict the utility of standard general psychological predictors. Measures paralleling more closely parameters of the criterion task -- signal rates, intersignal intervals, sensory modes -- might be expected to show greater promise."--Abstract.
Animal Vigilance builds on the author's previous publication with Academic Press (Social Predation: How Group Living Benefits Predators and Prey) by developing several other themes including the development and mechanisms underlying vigilance, as well as developing more fully the evolution and function of vigilance. Animal vigilance has been at the forefront of research on animal behavior for many years, but no comprehensive review of this topic has existed. Students of animal behavior have focused on many aspects of animal vigilance, from models of its adaptive value to empirical research in the laboratory and in the field. The vast literature on vigilance is widely dispersed with often little contact between models and empirical work and between researchers focusing on different taxa such as birds and mammals. Animal Vigilance fills this gap in the available material. - Tackles vigilance from all angles, theoretical and empirical, while including the broadest range of species to underscore unifying themes - Discusses several newer developments in the area, such as vigilance copying and effect of food density - Highlights recent challenges to assumptions of traditional models of vigilance, such as the assumption that vigilance is independent among group members, which is reviewed during discussion of synchronization and coordination of vigilance in a group - Written by a top expert in animal vigilance
What is the origin of meaning? How does the brain achieve symbolic computation? What are the neural correlates of cognitive processes? These challenging questions at the borderline between neuroscience, cognitive science, nonlinear dynamics, and philosophy are related to the symbol grounding problem: How is the meaning of words and utterances grounded in the dynamics of the brain and in the evolution of beings alive interacting with each other and with their environments? Simply by convention? Or is there an inherent correctness of names, of syllables, or even of sounds? This new book examines these important issues and presents probing analyses of the latest research.
Gerald Ulrich, MD provides an authoritative, advanced guide to theory-based EEG interpretation that is grounded in the Berlin Psychiatry School Model of EEG-Vigilance. The Berlin model is not well known in the United States. Instead, EEG is dominated by data-driven Q-EEG where one looks at mathematical correlations without a coherent theory to guide interpretation. This is the first known published book on this topic. Dr. Ulrich's aim is to help the reader increase self-confidence in EEG assessment in clinical practice or research and to facilitate more reliable and valid EEG interpretations. He provides a skilled synthesis of decades of EEG research alongside his expert insights from his 40 years of clinical experience and research with EEG. The reader will learn how to visually discern spatio-temporal patterns with 132 high-quality examples of EEG images - the majority within the course of spontaneous resting EEGs. Additionally, the EEG-pathology of psychiatric syndromes and the impact of common psychotropic medications on the EEG are described in detail. Another important contribution is the identification of a common type of biological artifact which has gone unnoticed in research that is likely responsible for the unsatisfactory test-retest reliability and questionable validity of the EEG; the author proposes a simple solution to this vexing artifact problem. In the second part of the book, the reader is introduced to novel QEEG procedures, especially related to EEG dynamics, which can be regarded as meaningful within the theory of EEG-vigilance.
Robert Jackson Bennett's Vigilance is a dark science fiction action parable from an America that has permanently surrendered to gun violence. The United States. 2030. John McDean executive produces "Vigilance," a reality game show designed to make sure American citizens stay alert to foreign and domestic threats. Shooters are introduced into a "game environment," and the survivors get a cash prize. The TV audience is not the only one that's watching though, and McDean soon finds out what it's like to be on the other side of the camera. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Neuroergonomics can be defined as the study of brain and behavior at work. It combines two disciplines--neuroscience, the study of brain function, and human factors, the study of how to match technology with the capabilities and limitations of people so they can work effectively and safely. The goal of merging these two fields is to use the startling discoveries of human brain and physiological functioning both to inform the design of technologies in the workplace and home, and to provide new training methods that enhance performance, expand capabilities, and opitimize the fit between people and technology. Research in the area of neuroergonomics has blossomed in recent years with the emergence of noninvasive techniques for monitoring human brain function that cna be used to study various aspects of human behavior in relation to technology and work, including mental workload, visual attention, working memory, motor control, human-automation interaction, and adaptive automation. This volume will provide the first systematic overview of this emerging area, describing the theoretical background, basic research, major methods, as well as the new and future areas of application. This collection will benefit a number of readers: the experienced researcher investigating related questions in human factors and cognitive neuroscience, the student wishing to get a rapid but systematic overview of the field, and the designer interested in novel approaches and new ideas for application. Researchers in human factors and ergonomics, neuroscience, cognitive psychology, medicine, industrial engineering, and computer science will find this volume most helpful.
This is the first book to summarize the methods, conceptual issues and results of studies using the interpretation of feather growth rates as an index of nutritional condition in birds. The author has coined the term ptilochronology (literally, 'the study of feather time') to describe this technique, which relies on the fact that as a feather grows it produces visible growth bars. Both the technique and its conceptual foundations have been applied worldwide to numerous studies of avian evolution, ecology, and conservation biology. The author reviews this work, chronicles the various criticisms that have been made, and describes how these have influenced the development of ptilochronology. He goes on to suggest experimental methodologies and analytical techniques to safeguard against invalid results. A final chapter summarises this new technique's contribution to avian biology, and suggests potential applications and a future research agenda. An appendix details specific measurements and describes the methodology associated with ptilochronology. Ptilochronology provides a practical resource as well as a conceptual understanding of how this technique can be used to address important questions in avian biology. It will be of relevance and use to professional avian biologists and ornithologists as well as to graduate students of avian behavioural ecology, evolution and conservation.
The Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior, Three Volume Set has engaged with great success the efforts of many of the best behavioral biologists of the 21st century. Section editors drawn from the most accomplished behavioral scientists of their generation have enrolled an international cast of highly respected thinkers and writers all of whom have taken great care and joy in illuminating every imaginable corner of animal behavior. This comprehensive work covers not only the usual topics such as communication, learning, sexual selection, navigation, and the history of the field, but also emerging topics in cognition, animal welfare, conservation, and applications of animal behavior. The large section on animal cognition brings together many of the world's experts on the subject to provide a comprehensive overview of this rapidly developing area. Chapters relating to animal welfare give a full view of behavioral interactions of humans with companion animals, farm animals, and animals in the wild. The key role of animal behavior in conservation biology receives broad attention, including chapters on topics such as the effects of noise pollution, captive breeding, and how the behavioral effects of parasites interacts with conservation issues. Animal behavior in environmental biology is highlighted in chapters on the effects of endocrine disruptors on behavior and a large number of chapters on key species, such as wolves, chimpanzees, hyenas and sharks. Clear, accessible writing complements a wealth of information for undergraduate college students about the essential concepts of animal behavior and the application of those concepts across the field. In-depth coverage of concepts, methods, and exemplar organisms serves the needs of graduate students and professionals in the field. From the use of behavior in assessing the welfare of pigs to the social behavior of insects, from animal empathy to bat brains, this authoritative reference, with its in-depth introductory articles, rich array of illustrations, interactive cross-referenced links, and numerous suggested readings, can guide the student or the professional to an expanded appreciation of the far-flung world of animal behavior. An invaluable tool for teaching and a source of enrichment and detail for any topic covered in an animal behavior course, the Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior is the definitive reference work in its field and will be for years to come. Comprehensive work which covers the usual topics along with emerging areas of animal behavior This encyclopedia contains clear, accessible writing and is well illustrated, including an online video, complimenting a wealth of information As an online reference, this work will be subject to period updating. This ensures that the work always remains current Contains in-depth introductions to the material that make each well-illustrated section come alive with the best the new content the discipline has to offer Glossary includes a compendium of behavioral terms that form a succinct mosaic of virtually every concept and phenomenon related to animal behavior Section editors, drawn from around the world, represent the best and the brightest among today's behavioral biologists and have recruited a broad range of internationally recognized experts Editors-in-Chief are experienced scientists and writers who between them have authored or edited eight books and teach courses in animal behavior at their respective universities
The leading reference on electroencephalography since 1982, Niedermeyer's Electroencephalography is now in its thoroughly updated Sixth Edition. An international group of experts provides comprehensive coverage of the neurophysiologic and technical aspects of EEG, evoked potentials, and magnetoencephalography, as well as the clinical applications of these studies in neonates, infants, children, adults, and older adults. This edition's new lead editor, Donald Schomer, MD, has updated the technical information and added a major new chapter on artifacts. Other highlights include complete coverage of EEG in the intensive care unit and new chapters on integrating other recording devices with EEG; transcranial electrical and magnetic stimulation; EEG/TMS in evaluation of cognitive and mood disorders; and sleep in premature infants, children and adolescents, and the elderly. A companion website includes fully searchable text and image bank.
