Preparation Cost and Dual-Task Performance: Further Evidence against a General Time-sharing Factor

摘要

The time-sharing performance of 12 pilot trainees and 12 subjects with no pilot training was evaluated on 8 dual-task and 4 single-task conditions. Three task characteristics-input modality (auditory or visual), output modality (vocal or manual), and task difficulty (easy or difficult)--were systematically manipulated across conditions in an effort to vary the nature of the specific time-sharing demands imposed. To assess their generality, time-sharing factors were correlated across task conditions. A factor was considered general if it correlated across conditions imposing dissimilar time-sharing demands. The result suggest that (a) neither an ability to time-share efficiently nor an ability to effectively prepare for multiple tasks is a general factor in dual-task performance, and (b) effective preparation for multiple tasks is a skill that increases with piloting experience. (Author)