Mental Workload and Situation Awareness

2006 ◽  
pp. 243-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela S. Tsang ◽  
Michael A. Vidulich
Keyword(s):  
Situation Awareness ◽  
Mental Workload

Augmented Reality Procedure Assistance System for Operator Training and Simulation

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 1176-1180
Author(s):  
Eugene Hayden ◽  
Kang Wang ◽  
Chengjie Wu ◽  
Shi Cao
Keyword(s):  
Augmented Reality ◽  
Situation Awareness ◽  
Mental Workload ◽  
Field Of View ◽  
Task Completion ◽  
Operator Training ◽  
Head Mounted Display ◽  
Subject Design ◽  
Procedural Tasks ◽  
Speed Accuracy

This study explores the design, implementation, and evaluation of an Augmented Reality (AR) prototype that assists novice operators in performing procedural tasks in simulator environments. The prototype uses an optical see-through head-mounted display (OST HMD) in conjunction with a simulator display to supplement sequences of interactive visual and attention-guiding cues to the operator’s field of view. We used a 2x2 within-subject design to test two conditions: with/without AR-cues, each condition had a voice assistant and two procedural tasks (preflight and landing). An experiment examined twenty-six novice operators. The results demonstrated that augmented reality had benefits in terms of improved situation awareness and accuracy, however, it yielded longer task completion time by creating a speed-accuracy trade-off effect in favour of accuracy. No significant effect on mental workload is found. The results suggest that augmented reality systems have the potential to be used by a wider audience of operators.

scholarly journals Effect of High-Altitude Environment on Driving Safety: A Study on Drivers’ Mental Workload, Situation Awareness, and Driving Behaviour

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Xinyan Wang ◽  
Wu Bo ◽  
Weihua Yang ◽  
Suping Cui ◽  
Pengzi Chu
Keyword(s):  
High Altitude ◽  
Situation Awareness ◽  
Mental Workload ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Driving Safety ◽  
Risky Driving ◽  
Driving Behaviour ◽  
Driving Risk ◽  
Low Altitude ◽  
The Relationship

This study aims to analyze the effect of high-altitude environment on drivers’ mental workload (MW), situation awareness (SA), and driving behaviour (DB), and to explore the relationship among those driving performances. Based on a survey, the data of 356 lowlanders engaging in driving activities at Tibetan Plateau (high-altitude group) and 341 lowlanders engaging in driving activities at low altitudes (low-altitude group) were compared and analyzed. The results suggest that the differences between the two groups are noteworthy. Mental workload of high-altitude group is significantly higher than that of low-altitude group, and their situation awareness is lower significantly. The possibility of risky driving behaviours for high-altitude group, especially aggressive violations, is higher. For the high-altitude group, the increase of mental workload can lead to an increase on aggressive violations, and the situation understanding plays a full mediating effect between mental workload and aggressive violations. Measures aiming at the improvement of situation awareness and the reduction of mental workload can effectively reduce the driving risk from high-altitude environment for lowlanders.

Mental Workload Beyond Computational Complexity

2000 ◽  
Vol 44 (21) ◽  
pp. 3-468-3-471
Author(s):  
Pamela S. Tsang
Keyword(s):  
Computational Complexity ◽  
Situation Awareness ◽  
Theoretical Foundation ◽  
Mental Workload ◽  
Strategic Control ◽  
Power Utility ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Multiple Task ◽  
Information Processing Approach

The information processing approach traditionally has been the theoretical foundation of mental workload. Computational neurocognitive models are emerging approaches to understanding how the brain performs cognitive functions. Computational complexity refers to the many possibilities and ambiguities intrinsic in the environmental stimuli. These models agree that the brain has limited computational power. Utility and implications of the computational approaches to the understanding of mental workload, especially that of higher-level activities such as strategic control of dynamic multiple-task performance and situation awareness will be explored.

Effect of Audio-Visual Alerts on Situation Awareness and Workload in a Net-Centric Warfare Scenario

2007 ◽  
Vol 51 (18) ◽  
pp. 1205-1209
Author(s):  
Jennifer M. Ross ◽  
John S. Barnett ◽  
Larry L. Meliza
Keyword(s):  
Situation Awareness ◽  
Mental Workload ◽  
Human Operator ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
Critical Events ◽  
Perceived Workload ◽  
The Common ◽  
Information Advantage ◽  
Inherent Nature

The goal of net-centric warfare (NCW) is to give soldiers an information advantage that leads to a war-fighting advantage. However, the inherent nature of NCW systems is often quite complex and dynamic, which leads to impaired situation awareness (SA) and heightened levels of mental workload for the human operator. The following study investigated the moderating effects of automated audio-visual alerts on user SA and perceived workload while using a net-centric warfare system. Twenty-six participants observed battlefield scenarios on a simulation of the common NCW system, Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below (FBCB2), and were required to pay attention and remember critical events (e.g., the appearance of an enemy unit). The system was presented with or without an automated alerting aid that provided combined auditory and visual alerts when certain critical events occurred (i.e., System to Help Implement and Empower Leader Decisions; SHIELD). Results revealed that contrary to current assumptions the use of an automated alerting aid did not impact user SA; however, perceived workload was significantly lower with the addition of the alerting aid. This work demonstrates that the automated alerts used in this NCW experiment do not affect SA (either positively or negatively) and decreased perceived workload.

A Closed-Loop Model of Operator Visual Attention, Situation Awareness, and Performance Across Automation Mode Transitions

2016 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron W. Johnson ◽  
Kevin R. Duda ◽  
Thomas B. Sheridan ◽  
Charles M. Oman
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Situation Awareness ◽  
Closed Loop ◽  
Mental Workload ◽  
Control Mode ◽  
System State ◽  
Lunar Landing ◽  
State Uncertainty ◽  
System States ◽  
Mode Transitions

Objective: This article describes a closed-loop, integrated human–vehicle model designed to help understand the underlying cognitive processes that influenced changes in subject visual attention, mental workload, and situation awareness across control mode transitions in a simulated human-in-the-loop lunar landing experiment. Background: Control mode transitions from autopilot to manual flight may cause total attentional demands to exceed operator capacity. Attentional resources must be reallocated and reprioritized, which can increase the average uncertainty in the operator’s estimates of low-priority system states. We define this increase in uncertainty as a reduction in situation awareness. Method: We present a model built upon the optimal control model for state estimation, the crossover model for manual control, and the SEEV (salience, effort, expectancy, value) model for visual attention. We modify the SEEV attention executive to direct visual attention based, in part, on the uncertainty in the operator’s estimates of system states. Results: The model was validated using the simulated lunar landing experimental data, demonstrating an average difference in the percentage of attention ≤3.6% for all simulator instruments. The model’s predictions of mental workload and situation awareness, measured by task performance and system state uncertainty, also mimicked the experimental data. Conclusion: Our model supports the hypothesis that visual attention is influenced by the uncertainty in system state estimates. Application: Conceptualizing situation awareness around the metric of system state uncertainty is a valuable way for system designers to understand and predict how reallocations in the operator’s visual attention during control mode transitions can produce reallocations in situation awareness of certain states.

The Relationship between Mental Workload and Situation Awareness

2000 ◽  
Vol 44 (21) ◽  
pp. 3-460-3-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Vidulich
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Situation Awareness ◽  
Mental Workload ◽  
Processing Abilities ◽  
Common Goals ◽  
Two Measures ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Simple Fashion ◽  
Empirical Database

Mental workload and situation awareness are both outgrowths of the practical need to assess operators' performing and managing dynamic complex tasks. Mental workload refers to the cost placed on the human operator's cognitive processing abilities by performing the required task-related mental processing. Situation awareness is the operator's apprehension of the current situation. Common goals of designing a new system or modifying an existing one are often to reduce the operator's mental workload while increasing the operator's situation awareness. However, the empirical database obtained from concurrent evaluation of mental workload and situation awareness demonstrates that the two measures generally do not co-vary in such a simple fashion. The lack of a single straightforward correlation could be interpreted as an indication that mental workload and situation awareness must be considered independent of each other. However, parsing the available studies into sub-categories based on the type of manipulation that was investigated allows some possible relationships between mental workload and situation awareness to emerge. This suggests that researchers should continue to examine the relationship between these concepts and system evaluators should not consider mental workload or situation awareness in isolation from the other.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document