Abstract
90 Ss participated in an experiment involving simultaneous performance on warning light, meter-centering, and tracking tasks. Switch/meter control-display compatibility (natural, unnatural, and inconsistent) and monitoring tone cues (directional, nondirectional, and no cues) were varied. Each S performed 40 20-sec. trials under one experimental condition (one of the nine possible combinations of the two independent variables). Directional cues and consistent control-display relationships resulted in the best performance; absence of tone cues and the inconsistent relationship resulted in the poorest. Meter-task data revealed no control-display relationship differences but tracking and combined-task data did. Monitoring tone cues significantly improved performance. Multiple-task performance is not necessarily predicted from knowledge of single-task performance.
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