The sustained attention paradox: a critical commentary on the theoretical impossibility of perfect vigilance

Sharpe, B. T. and Tyndall, I. (2025) The sustained attention paradox: a critical commentary on the theoretical impossibility of perfect vigilance. Cognitive Science, 49. pp. 1-15. ISSN 0364-0213

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[thumbnail of This is the peer reviewed version of the article, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/cogs.70061. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving. © 2025]
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Text (This is the peer reviewed version of the article, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/cogs.70061. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving. © 2025)
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Abstract

The human capacity for sustained attention represents a critical cognitive paradox: while essential for numerous high-stakes tasks, perfect vigilance is fundamentally impossible. This commentary explores the theoretical impossibility of maintaining uninterrupted attention, drawing from extensive interdisciplinary research in cognitive science, neuroscience, and psychology. Multiple converging lines of evidence demonstrate that sustained attention is constrained by neural, biological, and cognitive limitations. Neural mechanisms reveal that attention operates through rhythmic oscillations, with inherent fluctuations in frontoparietal networks and default mode network interactions. Neurochemical systems and cellular adaptation effects further underscore the impossibility of continuous, perfect vigilance. Empirical research across domains—including aviation, healthcare, industrial safety, and security—consistently demonstrates rapid declines in attention performance over time, regardless of individual expertise or motivation. Even elite performers like military personnel and experienced meditators exhibit inevitable attention lapses. This paper presents an argument against traditional approaches that seek to overcome these limitations through training or willpower. Instead, it advocates for designing human-technology systems that work harmoniously with cognitive constraints. This requires developing adaptive automation, understanding individual and cultural attention variations, and creating frameworks that strategically balance human capabilities with technological support.

Publication Type: Articles
Uncontrolled Keywords: attention; cognitive limitations; sustained attention; human-technology systems; vigilance decrement
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Q Science > Q Science (General)
R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC0321 Neuroscience. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
Divisions: Academic Areas > Institute of Education, Social and Life Sciences > Psychology
Research Entities > POWER Centre
Depositing User: Ian Tyndall
Date Deposited: 08 Apr 2025 11:14
Last Modified: 08 Apr 2025 11:14
URI: https://eprints.chi.ac.uk/id/eprint/8038

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