Examining the effects of eye-tracking strategies and gender on multitask performance and eye movements during sleep deprivation

Abstract

The current study implemented eye-tracking strategies on a computerized multitasking simulator in order to examine its effects on cognitive performance and dwell time on tasks during sleep deprivation. The study also looked at gender differences on multitask performance and dwell time on tasks before and after sleep deprivation. There were training trials before being sleep deprived and a testing trial after being sleep deprived for control and experimental groups. The experimental group had the eye-tracking strategies implemented on the multitasking simulator while the control group did not. It was hypothesised that eye-tracking strategies provided on the multitasking simulator would help individuals score better and equally distribute dwell time on tasks after being sleep deprived. It was also hypothesized that both genders would have similar scores and dwell times. Results showed that regardless of the eye-tracking strategies being provided or not, individuals performed better after being sleep deprived. Dwell times decreased for most of the tasks from training to testing and were not equally distributed. No conclusions in terms of gender differences were made due to limitations of unequal distribution of males and females on experimental and control groups. Results suggested that one night of sleep deprivation may not be enough for cognitive impairment to occur in the population examined. Future studies should look at implementing eye-tracking strategies when there is certainty that cognitive impairment due to sleep deprivation is occurring.