An investigation of time-sharing ability as a factor in complex performance.

OAM report.PDFTech ReportFAA-AM-76-1DOT/FAA/AM-76/1PerformanceTime managementMultitaskingMonitoringAttentionFactor analysisVarianceExperimentsHuman subject testingUnited StatesCivil Aerospace Medical InstituteJennings, Alan E.Chiles, W. DeanCivil Aeromedical InstituteUnited States. Office of Aviation MedicineNTL-AVIATION-AVIATIONNTL-AVIATION-Aviation Human FactorsUS Transportation CollectionThirty-nine men were tested on a total of six tasks; performance was measured on each task presented individually and on two complex tasks made up of three-task subsets. The tasks measured monitoring, arithmetic, pattern-discrimination, tracking, and problem-solving performance.Two separate test sessions were conducted for each of the individual tasks and for each of the two complex tasks. Factor analyses were performed on the resultant data to determine if there would merge a time-sharing ability, defined as a reliable source of variance associated with complex performance but independent of simple-task performance of the constituent tasks. A factor was found that showed high loadings for two different monitoring tasks for complex performance but negligible loadings for these tasks for simple performance; separate independent factors were found for the two monitoring tasks when they were performed under simple-task conditions. The monitoring measures appear to possess properties that would be expected of measures of a time-sharing ability.The findings suggest that a suitable measure of time-sharing ability would be of value in the selection and screening of candidates for complex jobs