The ANTI-Vea combines three classic attentional and vigilance paradigms that are randomly presented across three types of trials. In the largest proportion of trials (60%), participants complete the attentional networks Test for Interactions (ANTI) task of Callejas, Lupiáñez, and Tudela (2004), a task suitable for measuring the independence and interactions of phasic alertness, orienting, and executive control networks. In the remaining proportion of trials, participants complete two vigilance paradigms: (a) a signal-detection task (20% of trials) similar to the Mackworth Clock Test (Mackworth, 1948), suitable for measuring the executive vigilance component, and (b) a reaction time task (20% of trials) similar to the Psychomotor Vigilance Test (Lim & Dinges, 2008), suitable for measuring the arousal vigilance component.

Participants are instructed to fix the gaze all time on the fixation point (‘+’), which remains in the center of the screen in all trials. In the ANTI trials, participants have to complete a flankers task. A horizontal string of five arrows appears for 200 ms either above or below the fixation point. Participants are instructed to respond to the direction the central arrow (i.e., the target) points to, ignoring the direction pointed by the distractors (i.e., the surrounding arrows to the target). If the target points to the right, participants must press the letter ‘M’ on keyboard with their right hand, and if the target points to the left, participants must press the letter ‘C’ with their left hand. To assess the executive control network, the direction pointed by the target and distractors is the same (congruent condition) in half of the ANTI trials and opposite (incongruent condition) in the other half. To assess phasic alertness, in half of the ANTI trials, 500 ms before the target an auditory warning signal (2000 Hz during 50 ms) anticipates the target occurrence (tone condition), whereas in the other half the target is not anticipated by a warning signal (no tone condition). To assess the orienting network, a visual cue (‘*’) of 50 ms can appear either above or below the fixation point 100 ms prior to the target, either at the same location as the target (valid trials, 1/3 of ANTI trials), or at the opposite position (invalid condition, 1/3 of ANTI trials). In an additional 1/3 of ANTI trials no visual cue is presented (no cue condition).

The executive vigilance trials (i.e., the trials of the signal-detection subtask of the ANTI-Vea) have the same procedure and stimuli than the ANTI trials. To generate some noise, the five arrows in the ANTI trials and the surrounding arrows in the EV trials can be slightly horizontally and vertically displaced at random by ± 2 px from its central position. However, in the executive vigilance trials, the displacement of the target is substantial (fixed at 8 px) and only vertical (either upwards or downwards) from its central position regarding the alignment with the distractors. To correctly complete the signal-detection subtask of the ANTI-Vea, participants are instructed to remain vigilant all time to detect the vertical displacement of the target by pressing the ‘space bar’ key, ignoring in these cases the direction pointed by the target. Note that the displacement of the target is considered as the infrequent critical signal of the signal-detection task in the ANTI-Vea. Thus, if participants correctly detect the target’s displacement in the executive vigilance trials, the response is categorized as a hit. If target’s displacement is not detected by pressing the space bar, the response is categorized as a miss. Importantly, the ANTI trials serve a double purpose in the ANTI-Vea. As explained above, in the ANTI trials the independence and interactions of the classic attentional networks is measured. But, critically, as in the ANTI trials the target is not displaced from its central position regarding the distractors, these trials are also considered the ‘noise events’ of the signal-detection task of the ANTI-Vea. Therefore, if participants press the ‘space bar’ in the ANTI trials, the response is categorized as a false alarm, i.e., an incorrect detection of the infrequent critical signal.

Lastly, the arousal vigilance trials (i.e., the trials that mimic the Psychomotor Vigilance Test) have also the same timing as the ANTI and executive vigilance ones. Importantly, in the arousal vigilance trials, no warning signal, visual cue, or arrows’ stimuli are presented. Instead, the fixation point remains in the screen until a red millisecond down counter is presented at the center of the screen, starting at 1000 and descending to 0 or until a response is executed. Participants are instructed to remain vigilant all time to stop the millisecond counter every time it appears on the screen, as fast as possible by pressing any key from keyboard.

As above-mentioned, the three types of trials have the same timing, lasting in total 4100 ms each of them. Furthermore, note that all trials begin with the fixation point on the screen for a random timing between 400 and 1600 ms, and end with the fixation point on screen also until the 4100 ms of the trial duration is completed. This stimuli timing makes unpredictable the time at which the target will appear and, most importantly, which type of trial will be presented. Finally, in all trials, responses are allowed since the target appearance until 2000 ms.

The standard ANTI-Vea comprises six consecutive experimental blocks, which are completed with no pause nor visual feedback. The total time of the experimental blocks in the standard ANTI-Vea is of 32 min 48 sec. Each block includes 80 randomized trials (48 ANTI, 16 executive vigilance, and 16 arousal vigilance). The 48 ANTI trials per block have the following factorial design: Warning signal (no tone/tone) × Visual cue (invalid/no cue/valid) × Congruency (congruent/incongruent) × Target direction (left/right) × Stimuli position regarding the fixation point (up/down). The last two factors are usually not considered for statistical analyses and are only included as control conditions of stimuli presentation. In the EV trials, one factor is added to the factorial design of the ANTI trials: target displacement direction (upwards/downwards). The 16 executive vigilance trials per block are randomly selected from the 96 possible executive vigilance trials.