Who can best find Waldo? Exploring individual differences that bolster performance in a security surveillance microworld

Summary Closed‐circuit television (CCTV) surveillance units largely rely on the support of surveillance operators. Although this job is cognitively challenging, few studies have investigated the main human factors improving the ability to detect critical incidents in this context. This study aimed to explore the contribution of individual characteristics and cognitive abilities to performance in a realistic CCTV monitoring simulation. Non‐expert participants took part in a surveillance simulation and were screened on several measures of individual differences. Improved detection abilities and quicker speed of detection were related to lower age and to better knowledge of the area, cognitive flexibility, working memory, and visual/threat detection abilities. Moreover, more false alarms were associated with higher goal commitment but with lower working memory, visual/threat detection abilities, and cognitive flexibility. Results highlight the potential to screen for a series of cognitive and non‐cognitive skills as part of personnel selection procedures for CCTV centers.