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Paperdoi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2011.07.015

Validity and sensitivity of a brief psychomotor vigilance test (PVT-B) to total and partial sleep deprivation

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Authors: Mathias Basner, Daniel Mollicone, David F. Dinges

Acta Astronaut 2011;69(11–12):949–959

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TL;DR

3-min PVT-B vs standard 10-min PVT in 74 healthy adults (TSD 33 h, n = 31; PSD 5 nights × 4 h TIB, n = 43). Effect sizes smaller for PVT-B (average 22.7% decrease for a 70% shorter test) but still large (TSD) or medium-to-large (PSD); response speed (1/RT) had the largest effect size for both. Lapses on PVT-B are defined at ≥ 355 ms (vs 500 ms on the 10-min PVT), per the full text.

  • Form factor: test / questionnaire

Abstract

The Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT) objectively assesses fatigue-related changes in alertness associated with sleep loss, extended wakefulness, circadian misalignment, and time on task. The standard 10-min PVT is often considered impractical in applied contexts. To address this limitation, we developed a modified brief 3-min version of the PVT (PVT-B). The PVT-B was validated in controlled laboratory studies with 74 healthy subjects (34 female, aged 22-45 years) that participated either in a total sleep deprivation (TSD) study involving 33 hours awake (N=31 subjects) or in a partial sleep deprivation (PSD) protocol involving 5 consecutive nights of 4 hours time in bed (N=43 subjects). PVT and PVT-B were performed regularly during wakefulness. Effect sizes of 5 key PVT outcomes were larger for TSD than PSD and larger for PVT than for PVT-B for all outcomes. Effect size was largest for response speed (reciprocal response time) for both the PVT-B and the PVT in both TSD and PSD. According to Cohen's criteria, effect sizes for the PVT-B were still large (TSD) or medium to large (PSD, except for fastest 10% RT). Compared to the 70% decrease in test duration the 22.7% (range 6.9%-67.8%) average decrease in effect size was deemed an acceptable trade-off between duration and sensitivity. Overall, PVT-B performance had faster response times, more false starts and fewer lapses than PVT performance (all p0.15) but the fastest 10% response times during PSD (P<0.001), and effect sizes increased from 1.38 to 1.49 (TSD) and 0.65 to 0.76 (PSD), respectively. In conclusion, PVT-B tracked standard 10-min PVT performance throughout both TSD and PSD, and yielded medium to large effect sizes. PVT-B may be a useful tool for assessing behavioral alertness in settings where the duration of the 10-min PVT is considered impractical, although further validation in applied settings is needed.

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Tasks & signals

Tasks

StressSleep staging

Signals

PVT

Keywords

FatiguePVT BGround TruthSleep Deprivation

How it works

How Method works: Setup → Method → TargetSetup: Signals (PVT); Form factor (test / questionnaire). Method: Method. Target: Stress; Sleep staging.SetupSignals: PVTSignalsPVTForm factor: test / questionnaireForm factortest / questionnaireMethodMethodTargetStressStressSleep stagingSleep staging

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Basner, M., Mollicone, D., & Dinges, D. F. (2011). Validity and sensitivity of a brief psychomotor vigilance test (PVT-B) to total and partial sleep deprivation. Acta Astronaut 2011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2011.07.015
Basner, Mathias, Daniel Mollicone, and David F. Dinges. 2011. "Validity and sensitivity of a brief psychomotor vigilance test (PVT-B) to total and partial sleep deprivation." Acta Astronaut 2011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2011.07.015.
Basner, M., Mollicone, D. and Dinges, D. F. (2011) 'Validity and sensitivity of a brief psychomotor vigilance test (PVT-B) to total and partial sleep deprivation', Acta Astronaut 2011. doi: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2011.07.015.
Basner, Mathias, et al. "Validity and sensitivity of a brief psychomotor vigilance test (PVT-B) to total and partial sleep deprivation." Acta Astronaut 2011, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2011.07.015.
M. Basner, D. Mollicone, and D. F. Dinges, "Validity and sensitivity of a brief psychomotor vigilance test (PVT-B) to total and partial sleep deprivation," Acta Astronaut 2011, 2011, doi: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2011.07.015.
@article{basner2011validity,
  title         = {{Validity and sensitivity of a brief psychomotor vigilance test (PVT-B) to total and partial sleep deprivation}},
  author        = {Basner, Mathias and Mollicone, Daniel and Dinges, David F.},
  year          = {2011},
  journal       = {Acta Astronaut 2011},
  doi           = {10.1016/j.actaastro.2011.07.015}
}

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