Changes in Lifeguards’ Hazard Detection and Eye Movements with Experience: Is One Season Enough?

Abstract

Surveillance is key to the lifesaving capability of lifeguards. Experienced personnel consistently display enhanced hazard detection capabilities compared to less experienced counterparts. However, the mechanisms which underpin this effect and the time it takes to develop these skills are not understood. We hypothesized that, after one season of experience, the number of hazards detected by, and eye movements of, less experienced lifeguards (LEL) would more closely approximate experienced lifeguards (EL). The LEL watched ‘beach scene’ videos at the beginning and end of their first season. The number of hazards detected and eye-movement data were collected and compared to the EL group. The LEL perceived fewer hazards than EL and did not increase over the season. There was no difference in eye-movements between groups. Findings suggest one season is not enough for lifeguards to develop enhanced hazard detection skills and skill level differences are not underpinned by differences in gaze behavior.

An exploration into the contributing cognitive skills of lifeguard visual search

“…Previous research exploring lifeguard drowning detection found differences between lifeguards and non‐lifeguards in their detection accuracy and response times (Laxton & Crundall, 2018). However, the eye‐movements of lifeguards and non‐lifeguards do not necessarily reflect this detection superiority (Laxton et al, 2020; Laxton et al, 2021; Smith et al, 2020). In both the Laxton et al (2020) and Laxton et al (2021) studies there was a suggestion that small non‐significant gains in both the time to first fixate the target, and the amount of processing time required, added up to produce a significant superiority in response times to drowning targets.…”

Cognition and lifeguard detection performance

“…Each variation of these methodologies introduces variations in terms of task representativeness (i.e., the fidelity with which tasks emulate real-world conditions), complexity, and duration. It is unsurprising that these methodological divergences have emerged as pivotal contributors to the inconsistent findings witnessed within the literature on lifeguard drowning detection(Smith, 2016;Smith et al, 2020), a trend that continues in the present study. The evaluation of lifeguards' direct performance in detecting drownings is inherently constrained when attempting to incorporate uncontrollable scenarios marked by contextual variations.…”

“…A diverse range of methodologies has been employed to assess the effectiveness of lifeguards in detecting drowning incidents, from pre‐recorded CCTV footage (Lanagan‐Leitzel, 2012) to scripted beach recordings (Smith et al, 2020). Each variation of these methodologies introduces variations in terms of task representativeness (i.e., the fidelity with which tasks emulate real‐world conditions), complexity, and duration.…”

“…Research has yet to determine what discriminates these performance differences associated with higher durations of lifeguarding employment. Hence, recent literature has called for such cognitive investigation to help the field understand why lifeguards of varying degrees of experience consistently demonstrate performance differences (Laxton et al, 2022;Sharpe et al, 2023;Smith et al, 2020) and perhaps determine a means to improve the detection performance of newly qualified lifeguards quickly (Laxton et al, 2023).…”

“…Conversely, as a precautionary measure, individuals with lower WMC might benefit from additional support when monitoring under conditions of elevated cognitive demand. Irrespective of our findings, it is advisable for lifeguard training manuals to consider incorporating a segment on the concept of vigilance decrement and its implications for task performance.10.1 | Generalisability of findingsA diverse range of methodologies has been employed to assess the effectiveness of lifeguards in detecting drowning incidents, from prerecorded CCTV footage (Lanagan-Leitzel, 2012) to scripted beach recordings(Smith et al, 2020). Each variation of these methodologies introduces variations in terms of task representativeness (i.e., the fidelity with which tasks emulate real-world conditions), complexity, and duration.…”