Effect of Cognitive Fatigue on Vigilance Level: The Role of Working Memory

This study aimed to assess the effect of cognitive fatigue on the student's vigilance with the study of modulating role of WMC. The study performed with experimental design on high school girl students of zanjan in 2013-2014. First, 6 classrooms were selected from high schools of region 2 in Zanjan based on cluster randomized sampling and tested with N-back. Task. Then 40 participants with high and low WMC selected from them as final sample. They executed vigilance test before and after cognitive fatigue condition. Data analyzed with T-test, ANCOVA, partial correlation and hiararhieal multiple regression analysis. Results indicated cognitive fatigue had an effects on student's vigilance and reduced it. However WM moderates this effect. So it can be called that WM has an important role in preservation at student's conscious and vigilance. There fore reinforcement and promoting of WMC leads to increasing vigilance and continuity this increasing.