The scales of challenge and hindrance appraisals were psychometrically sound across multiple contexts. RESULTS highlight the merit of considering appraisal in stress research.

The readback/hearback protocol is a radio procedure intended to reduce communication errors in technical industries. It consists of the delivery of an instruction to a receiver, and the readback of that instruction by the receiver to confirm to the sender that it has been heard accurately. It does not, however, ensure that the receiver has understood the instruction. Using 2 samples within electricity transmission control, the present research explored whether the prosodic cues that listeners use to interpret uncertainty are also used to judge whether a receiver is perceived to have understood an instruction. Rising intonation and filled interturn delays were identified as prosodic cues that operators use to identify nonunderstandings. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are considered.

Issue addressed With no efficacious treatments or vaccines available, social distancing measures remain the most effective approach for reducing the transmission of the COVID‐19 virus. However, adherence to social distance measures presumably requires knowledge and understanding of the current social distancing restrictions. Methods A modified version of the Theory of Planned Behaviour examined the role of knowledge and understanding of current social distancing measures in predicting intentions to adhere to social distancing restrictions. An online survey was administered to respondents (N = 374) in Melbourne, Australia during a period of heightened social distancing restrictions. In addition to measuring respondents’ general intentions to adhere to restrictions, vignettes were used to assess intended behaviour in specific situations. Results Knowledge of social distancing restrictions predicted intentions to adhere in specific situations, but not general intentions to adhere. Knowledge of restrictions also predicted positive attitudes towards current restrictions and a greater perceived ability to adhere to the restrictions, while positive attitudes was a good predictor of both general and specific intentions to adhere. Conclusions The findings suggest that attitudes towards restrictions may influence whether individuals attempt to adhere to restrictions, but knowledge of the restrictions influences whether the intended behaviour actually adheres to current restrictions. So what? These outcomes indicate that members of the public should be educated regarding the negative consequences associated with the COVID‐19 virus and the capacity of social distancing to reduce transmission of the virus, and a need for social distancing restrictions to be uncomplicated and clearly communicated.

This study was designed to examine whether cue utilization differentiates performance and resource allocation during simulated rail control tasks that contain implicit patterns of train movement. Two experiments were conducted, the first of which involved the completion of a 30-min rail control simulation that required participants to reroute trains either infrequently (monitoring task) or periodically (process control task). In the monitoring condition, participants with lower cue utilization recorded a greater increase in response latency over time. However, in the process control condition, cue utilization failed to differentiate performance. In the second experiment, the duration of the rail control task was increased, and measures of participant fixation rates and cerebral blood flow were taken. Participants with higher cue utilization demonstrated greater decreases in fixation rates, smaller changes in cerebral oxygenation in the prefrontal cortex, and smaller increases in response latencies, compared with participants with lower cue utilization. The results of the study provide support for the assertion that a relatively greater capacity for cue utilization is associated with the allocation of fewer cognitive resources during sustained attention tasks that embody an implicit pattern of activity. Public Significance StatementIndividuals with an increased capacity to respond to task cues (cue utilization) required fewer cognitive resources to sustain attention on monitoring and process control rail tasks, while still maintaining high levels of performance. Measurements of cue utilization could assist with selection, training, and the design of monitoring/process control task roles that require individuals to sustain attention over long periods of time.

This study was designed to examine whether qualified practitioners’ cue utilization is predictive of their sustained attention performance during regular operational tasks. Simulated laboratory studies have demonstrated that cue utilization differentiates cognitive load during process control tasks. However, it was previously unclear whether similar results would be demonstrated with qualified practitioners during familiar operational tasks. Australian distribution network service provider (DNSP) operators were classified with either higher or lower cue utilization based on an assessment of cue utilization within the context of electrical power distribution. During two, 20-min periods of operators’ regular workdays, physiological measures of workload were assessed through changes in cerebral oxygenation in the prefrontal cortex compared to baseline, and through eye behavior metrics (fixation rates, saccade amplitude, and fixation dispersion). The results indicated that there were no statistically significant differences in eye behavior metrics, based on levels of cue utilization. However, as hypothesized, during both sessions, operators with higher cue utilization demonstrated smaller increases in cerebral oxygenation in the prefrontal cortex from baseline, compared to operators with lower cue utilization. The results are consistent with the proposition that operators with higher cue utilization experience lower cognitive load during periods of regular activity during their workday, compared to operators with lower cue utilization. Assessments of cue utilization could help identify operators who are better able to sustain attention during regular operational tasks, as well as those who may benefit from cue-based training interventions.