SAST

From MindModelingWiki

[edit] Serial Addition/Subtraction Task

Understanding the impact of fatigue on human cognition represents an important challenge in applying research in cognitive science to real-world situations. In our research using the Walter Reed Serial Addition/Subtraction Task, or SAST, we are extending our account of the mechanisms producing deficits in cognitive performance as individuals become increasingly fatigued. In our model, performance on the SAST relies heavily on declarative knowledge of mathematical facts, allowing us to extend fatigue mechanisms associated with procedural knowledge from previous research to include analogous parameters and mechanisms in declarative knowledge in the Adaptive Control of Thought-Rational (ACT-R) cognitive architecture. We are validating the proposed mechanisms by comparing the model's performance on the SAST to human data from a study where individuals underwent 88 hrs of total sleep deprivation (TSD). This research is contributing to our goal of developing a comprehensive theory of how the human arousal system impacts cognition and performance.