AROUSAL AND VIGILANCE ASSESSMENT

The relationship between the concepts of arousal and vigilance is revi ewed. Arousal refers to series of physiological and behavioral states characterized by a certain level of excitation or energy mobilization. Vigilance can be defined as a type of attention that permits the dete ction and consecutive response to specific environmental changes. With the objective of establishing the relation between the two concepts, different methods for the assessment of arousal and vigilance are revi ewed. The methods are psychophysiological evaluation of arousal, subje ctive arousal, simple reaction time, expectancy, and time estimation. Although no causal relation can be confirmed. there is a correspondenc e between the concepts of arousal and vigilance.