Limits of Multiple Resource Theory: The Role of Task Correlation/Integration in Optimal Display Formatting

摘要

This report presents a theory of the optimal display format for tasks that have multiple stimulus elements. Our previous research indicates that these various elements should be presented to display channels that employ separate resources (e.g., be distributed between auditory and visual modalities). In this report we suggest that this distribution should not be done to the extent that (a) the values of the various display elements are correlated (e.g., temperature and pressure of gas in a pipe), (b) the separate elements must be integrated into a single mental model of the environment. Collectively, we define these two conditions as the degree of correlation/integration. As correction/integration increases, the relative advantages of separate resources decreases. The research in our own and other laboratories that supports this concept is reviewed. (Author)