Human factors specialists require practical efficient data collection technologies which can be used to answer questions about the performance capabilities of the human operator. This paper considers several factors which contribute to the interpretability, sensitivity, and practical utility of standardized task batteries designed to assess the effects on human performance of work environments, stressors, biochemically active agents and performance enhancement interventions. The procedures employed in the development of a task battery by the U.S. Air Force Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory are used to illustrate both the theoretical and pragmatic issues which are discussed.
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