Abstract
The effect of workload context on subsequent performance and workload ratings has crucial implications regarding workload transition. However few studies have examined workload context effects; and those that have, report contradictory results. This study attempts to determine if the failure to find evidence of workload context effects might be attributable to methodological factors such as task duration, task difficulty, and experimental design. Twelve subjects “flew” three sessions of three trials on a computer-based flight simulator, and rated the workload after each trial. A pre-post experimental design presented the first and third trials at a medium level of difficulty while the second (experimental) trial was of low, medium, or high difficulty. Crosswinds of 2, 12, and 22 knots created the levels of low, medium, and high task difficulty. Analyses of the performance and workload data did not reveal significant differences in Trial 3 as a function of prior task difficulty presented in Trial 2. The inability to find workload context effects in the present study suggests that previous inconsistent findings can not be attributed to differences in task duration and experimental design. Rather, it appears that contradictory results may be attributable to differences in the range of task difficulty employed, the workload measurement tool, or both.
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