Visual Monitoring with Spatially versus Temporally Distributed Displays

Abstract

Recent research has examined performance levels using rapid communication (RAP COM) visual displays. We extended this research in three experiments using a task in which subjects monitored visual displays representing dynamically varying system parameters and responded whenever an indicator value went beyond a specified range. In the spatial condition the indicator values were simultaneously presented in different locations on the CRT; in the RAP COM condition each indicator was presented in successive frames in a central location on the CRT. Results indicated that RAP COM displays yielded shorter response latencies than did spatial displays and that RAP COM displays produced significantly higher error rates. The same pattern was obtained with different stimulus-response mappings and across a range of practice levels. These findings indicate that RAP COM displays may not increase overall system performance, given the elevated error rates obtained with these displays. These error rate data indicate that it may not be possible to implement RAP COM displays in real-world systems. Possible reasons for the high error rate obtained with the RAP COM displays are discussed.

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