Psychomotor vigilance task

The Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT) is a simple cognitive test used to measure how alert and attentive a person is. During the task, individuals are asked to respond quickly to a visual stimulus—usually a light or a number—by pressing a button as soon as they see it. The test typically lasts a few minutes and records response times and missed responses. It helps assess how alert someone is, especially after sleep deprivation or shift work, and is commonly used in research on fatigue and alertness management.