The experiment simulated an ATC operator’s job and allowed us to measure the effects of TOT vs. TC. Two levels of TC (high and low) and two viewing conditions (free-viewing and fixation) resulted in four ATC conditions: two (TC) × two (viewing conditions). We ran four blocks (one block per ATC condition); each block was approximately 30 min long and contained 41 trials (i.e. a sequence of radar displays; see ‘Control tasks’ section below). Block order was controlled by a semi-Latin-square design, as follows: Viewing condition order was blocked for all participants:

half of the participants (n = 6) performed the fixation condition during the first AZD6244 concentration two blocks and the free-viewing condition during the last two blocks. The other

half (n = 6) started with free-viewing and finished with fixation. For each viewing condition, we balanced TC across subjects (i.e. half the subjects started with the high TC condition and the other half with the low TC condition). This design minimised the effects of potential confounding factors, including learning or series effects and task-switching costs (i.e. the costs associated with going from a complex to an easy task). We ran the following four experimental sequences: Free-viewing high TC, free-viewing low TC, fixation high TC, fixation low TC. Free-viewing low TC, free-viewing high TC, fixation low TC, fixation high TC. Fixation high TC, fixation low TC, free-viewing high TC, free-viewing low TC. Fixation low TC, fixation high TC, free-viewing low TC, free-viewing see more high TC. Our analyses showed no effect of the experimental series, indicating that sequence order did not influence our main results significantly (Supporting Carnitine palmitoyltransferase II Information Tables S1 and S2). To determine the effects of mental

fatigue we analysed the data according to the TOT factor determined by four sequential 30-min blocks of TOT (i.e. TOT 1, TOT 2, TOT 3 and TOT 4). Hereafter we will use the terms TOT and mental fatigue interchangeably. Participants carried out a simplified ATC task. This task contained many of the dynamic elements experienced by actual air traffic controllers, and was realistic enough to be ecologically valid but not so complex that naive participants could not perform it. In the free-viewing condition we presented a radar display consisting of five grey concentric circles (nodes), representing the distance from the airport, on a black background (Fig. 1). Two degrees (°) of visual angle separated adjacent nodes, and the largest node had a 10° radius. A Cartesian-coordinate axis divided the radar display into four quadrants. The lines forming the nodes and coordinate axes had a thickness of 0.0125°, and their intensity level was chosen to minimise afterimages and viewing discomfort. A small fixation spot consisting of three concentric circles [radius of smallest (red) circle = 0.05°; radius of middle (black) circle = 0.25°; radius of largest (white) circle = 0.