The workload implications of haptic displays in multi-display environments such as the cockpit: Dual-task interference of within-sense haptic inputs (tactile/proprioceptive) and between-sense inputs (tactile/proprioceptive/auditory/visual)

摘要

Visual workload demand within the cockpit is reaching saturation, whereas thehaptic sense (proprioceptive and tactile sensation) is relatively untapped,despite studies suggesting the benefits of haptic displays.MRT suggests that inputs from haptic displays will not interfere with inputs fromvisual or auditory displays. MRT is based on the premise that multisensoryintegration occurs only after unisensory processing. However, recentneuroscientific findings suggest that the distinction between unisensory versusmultisensory processing is much more blurred than previously thought.This programme of work had the following two research objectives:1. To examine whether multiple haptic inputs can be processed at the sametime without performance decrement-Study One2. To examine whether haptic inputs can be processed at the same time asvisual or auditory inputs without performance decrement-Study TwoIn Study One participants performed dual-tasks, consisting of same-sensetasks (tactile or proprioceptive) or different-sense tasks (tactile andproprioceptive). These tasks also varied in terms of processing code, in line withMRT. The results found significantly more performance decrement for thesame-sense dual-tasks than for the different-sense dual-tasks, in accordancewith MRT, suggesting that performance will suffer if two haptic displays of thesame type are used concurrently. An adjustment to the MRT model issuggested to incorporate these results.In Study Two, participants performed different-sense dual-tasks, consisting ofauditory or visual tasks with tactile or proprioceptive tasks. The tasks alsovaried in terms of processing code. Contrary to MRT, the results found thatwhen processing code was different, there was significant performancedecrement for all of the dual-tasks, but not when processing code was thesame. These results reveal an exception to two key MRT rules, the sensoryresource rule and the processing code rule. It is suggested that MRT may beoversimplistic and other factors highlighted by recent neuroscientific researchshould be taken into account in theories of dual-task performance.