Abstract
An airspeed display and a lateral displacement (runway) display, arranged vertically and horizontally, respectively, were concurrently tracked by relatively inexperienced pilots using a joy stick. On each display the primary indicator was a small band which moved lengthwise. A moiré-pattern rate field (RF) moved alongside and with the primary. Each of four experimental conditions included both primary indicators and (a) no rate fields, (b) the airspeed rate field only, (c) the runway rate field only, or (d) both rate fields. Response measures for each display included (a) latency of initial response, (b) control reversals, and (c) root-mean-square (RMS) tracking error. Rate fields decreased RMS error for the runway display. Latency was briefer, but more reversals occurred on the airspeed display than on the runway display. Rate fields apparently serve an attention gathering function, but this cannot be fully investigated until optimum direction-of-motion relations are determined.
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