Effects of Task Priority and Difficulty in Multitasking Across Screens

Abstract

Objective

This study investigates how task priority, task difficulty, and their interaction influence task-switching decisions in a complex multitasking environment, where operators manage multiple supervisory tasks distributed across displays.

Background

The Strategic Task Overload Management (STOM) model posits that task priority and difficulty influence task-switching behavior, but empirical research has yielded inconsistent results.

Method

Participants performed four concurrent supervisory tasks, each shown on a separate display, using a simulated unmanned aerial vehicle monitoring platform. Task priority was manipulated through performance-based rewards, and the difficulty of the target detection task varied across four levels.

Results

Participants were more likely to switch to the target detection task and dwelled longer on it when it was high-priority. Increased task difficulty led to lower overall switching frequency and longer dwell time on the more difficult task. Manipulations of priority and difficulty mutually reinforced perceptions of each other and amplified each other’s impact on task-switching behaviors.

Conclusion

Task priority has a significant impact on task-switching behaviors in complex multitasking scenarios. The impact of task difficulty on switching behaviors is more pronounced at the global level than at the local level, where a threshold effect is observed. The two attributes mutually reinforce each other’s impact.

Application

This study provides implications for refining the STOM model and offers insights into designing interventions that support effective task switching.