Human errors in performing security-critical tasks are typically blamed on the complexity of those tasks. However, such errors can also occur because of (possibly unexpected) sensory distractions. A sensory distraction that produces negative effects can be abused by the adversary that controls the environment. Meanwhile, a distraction with positive effects can be artificially introduced to improve user performance. The goal of this work is to explore the effects of visual stimuli on the performance of security-critical tasks. To this end, we experimented with a large number of subjects who were exposed to a range of unexpected visual stimuli while attempting to perform Bluetooth Pairing. Our results clearly demonstrate substantially increased task completion times and markedly lower task success rates. These negative effects are noteworthy, especially, when contrasted with prior results on audio distractions which had positive effects on performance of similar tasks. Experiments were conducted in a novel (fully automated and completely unattended) experimental environment. This yielded more uniform experiments, better scalability and significantly lower financial and logistical burdens. We discuss this experience, including benefits and limitations of the unattended automated experiment paradigm.
O'Malley and Poplawsky @cite_2 argued that sensory noise affects behavioral selectivity. Specifically, while a consistent positive or negative effect on task completion may not occur, a consistent negative effect was observed for tasks that require subjects to react to signals on their periphery. Meanwhile, a consistent positive effect on task completion was observed for tasks that require subjects to react to signals in the center of their field of attention. This leads to the claim that sensory stimulation has the effect of narrowing the subject's area of attention.
@cite_2
2194198555
The literature on the effects of noise on monitoring performance shows a disappointing lack of consistency in results. The hypothesis of the present study was that task classification in terms of demands made on the observer should reconcile conflicting findings so that generalizations could be made. Therefore, a study was made of the effects of intermittent or variable noise on vigilance experiments with similar task demands. Twenty-one sensory vigilance studies, selected from 98 visual performance experiments, were analyzed in detail. It appeared that, even when studies possess similar task characteristics, they are hard to compare due to the many types and varieties of the noise variables involved and the measures of performance used. Contradictory results remain. It was concluded that we know nothing about the effects of variable noise on sustained attention, despite the importance of this kind of noise for everyday life. Using this detailed analysis as an illustration, it was suggested that disparate...