The effects of different modes of supervision on vigilance behaviour

Abstract

Experiment I was run to determine if a closed-circuit television and a one-way window mode of supervision were as effective as the direct physical presence of an experimenter in inducing enhanced levels of signal detection in a Mackworth-type vigilance task. A control condition of complete subject privacy was also examined. The results indicated that both the television and the window conditions had a positive effect on overall performance which was similar to that observed in the experimenter-presence condition; however, the performance decrement over the 90 min vigil was equivalent for the four modes. A second experiment involving the variable of camera position with an addition of a fourth 30 min. period yielded no significant differences between the camera positions, but overall performance in the television condition was again better than in the control condition. This study suggested that performance can be enhanced even without the physical presence of the experimenter.