Mental Fatigue and Workload: Effort Allocation during Multiple Task Performance

Abstract

The goal of the present study was to gain a better understanding of the effect of mental fatigue and workload on allocation of effort during prolonged multiple task performance was examined. Two levels of workload were manipulated between subjects. Time was assessed over three consecutive 30-min periods. Performance was measured on the Multi-Attribute Task Battery which was revised to include a new task. This new task was developed to investigate allocation of effort to various activities over time. A 2 (workload) X 3 (time) mixed factorial design was employed. The most dramatic shifts in allocation of effort were observed for the high workload participants. For these individuals, performance on several tasks suffered in the third period. These results suggest that varying workload in a multi-tasking situation can not only affect performance on concurrent tasks but also the allocation of effort over time.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Comstock

J. R.

Jr. Arnegard

R. J.

(1992). The Multi-Attribute Task Battery for human operator workload and strategic behavior research. NASA Technical Memorandum TM-104174.

Caldwell

L.S.

Lyddan

J.M.

(1971). Serial isometric fatigue functions with variable intertrial intervals. Journal of Motor Behavior, 3, 17–30.

Damos

D. L.

(1991). Multiple-task performance. Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis Press.

Demick

Miller

P.M.

(1993). Development in the workplace. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Finkelman

J.M.

(1994). A large database study of the factors associated with work-induced fatigue. Human Factors, 36, 232–243.

Golding

A.P.

(1983). Differential accident involvement: A literature survey. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research Reports, July, 356–370.

Holding

D.H.

(1983). Fatigue. In Hockey

(Ed.), Stress and fatigue in human Performance (pp. 145–164). Chichester, England: Wiley.

National Transportation Safety Board & NASA Ames Research Center. (1995). Fatigue Symposium Proceedings.

Pope

A. T.

Bogart

E. H

(1992). Identification of hazardous awareness states in monitoring environments. Journal of Aerospace, 101, 449–457.

10.

Ruffin

M.T.

Cohen

(1994). Evaluation and management of fatigue. American Family Physician, 50, 625–635.

11.

Scerbo

M. W.

Freeman

F. G.

Mikulka

P. J.

Schoenfeld

Eischeid

Krahl

Stark

J. M.

Parasuraman

(1999). Hazardous states of awareness: What are they and how do we measure them? Tenth Symposium on Aviation Psychology, Columbus, OH.

12.

Scott

W.B.

(1994). USAF research aids crew fatigue management. Aviation Week and Space Technology, 141, 23–25.

13.

Shappell

S. A.

Wiegmann

D. A.

(1997). Why would an experienced aviator fly a perfectly good aircraft into the ground? Proceedings of the 9th International Symposium on Aviation Psychology, 26–32.

14.

Wickens

C. D.

(1992). Engineering psychology and human performance. New York: Harper Collins.