Abstract
Power boat operators' visual characteristics were recorded with a corneal reflection eye movement system in order to determine their foveal fixations. Data were collected while three (3) subjects performed three (3) different types of navigation tasks at three (3) velocities in two (2) boating environments.
Results indicate that boaters scanned a significantly larger area to the right of the vessel during a limited access water condition than during an open water condition. More fixations to the right of the boat during a limited access water condition may be related to the fact that their cockpit station is on this side of the vessel. A significant velocity-navigation task interaction was observed for the duration parameters. It has been speculated that this effect was due to a speed/accuracy trade-off. During a channel task with increased velocities, the durations increased. McDowell (1975) related similar increases in automobile drivers' durations to processing information more accurately. The decrease in durations, which the boaters exhibited during compass and visual reference tasks, may be related to an increased information processing rate.
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