Cognition and lifeguard detection performance

TY - JOUR

T1 - Cognition and lifeguard detection performance

AU - Sharpe, Benjamin T.

AU - Smith, Marcus S.

AU - Williams, Steven C.R.

AU - Hampshire, Adam

AU - Balaet, Maria

AU - Trender, William

AU - Hellyer, Peter J.

AU - Talbot, Jo

AU - Smith, Jenny

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors. Applied Cognitive Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PY - 2024/1/1

Y1 - 2024/1/1

N2 - Two experiments aimed to determine whether working memory capacity (WMC) and high-order executive functions predict drown detection performance and maintenance under heightened task demands. Experiment 1 (n = 111) found a positive correlation between enhanced performance scores and higher WMC, while executive function showed no comparable association. Experiment 2 (n = 28) individuals with elevated WMC demonstrated an ability to detect a greater number of drowning events over an extended period overall, relative to their lower scoring counterparts. However, this heightened capacity did not necessarily prevent the presence of vigilance decrement, but enabled lifeguards to perform more effectively under conditions of increased bather numbers. Our findings highlight that lifeguards have a measurable underlying process that may systematically discriminate lifeguards of varying degrees of experience and detection performance. This offers a new avenue for future lifeguarding research.

AB - Two experiments aimed to determine whether working memory capacity (WMC) and high-order executive functions predict drown detection performance and maintenance under heightened task demands. Experiment 1 (n = 111) found a positive correlation between enhanced performance scores and higher WMC, while executive function showed no comparable association. Experiment 2 (n = 28) individuals with elevated WMC demonstrated an ability to detect a greater number of drowning events over an extended period overall, relative to their lower scoring counterparts. However, this heightened capacity did not necessarily prevent the presence of vigilance decrement, but enabled lifeguards to perform more effectively under conditions of increased bather numbers. Our findings highlight that lifeguards have a measurable underlying process that may systematically discriminate lifeguards of varying degrees of experience and detection performance. This offers a new avenue for future lifeguarding research.

KW - drown detection

KW - executive function

KW - vigilance

KW - working memory capacity

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85173903374&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1002/acp.4139

DO - 10.1002/acp.4139

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85173903374

SN - 0888-4080

VL - 38

JO - Applied Cognitive Psychology

JF - Applied Cognitive Psychology

IS - 1

M1 - e4139

ER -