The Role of Short-Term Memory in Operator Workload

Abstract

The role of flight crew number in the advanced conceptual bomber is likely to call rapid management of complex information. The elevated workload associated with these new informational tasks may be alleviated in part by the reduction of short term memory demands. Literature reviews were conducted to described the concepts of short term memory and workload. An experiment was conducted to describe the contribution of short term memory demands to operator workload. The Sternberg scanning model was used in a secondary task paradigm with various performance and subjective measures recorded. Sternberg choice reaction time and subjective ratings of workload increased as a function of visual memory set size. It was concluded that short term memory may significantly contribute to operator workload. Therefore, strategies for the reduction of short term memory demands in crew station information display design should be investigated. Keywords: Mental ability, Performance(Human), Operators(Personnel), Recognition, Memory(Psychology).

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 1988
Accession Number
ADA200252

Entities

People

  • Carita D. Glynn
  • Craig Dye
  • Harry L. Snyder
  • Mark Takahama
  • William F. Reinhart

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • C4I
  • Human Systems
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Airborne Warning And Control System
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Biomedical Research
  • Cognitive Workload
  • Computer Programming
  • Computer Programs
  • Control Systems
  • Data Displays
  • Flight Crews
  • Human Factors Engineering
  • Human-Machine Interaction
  • Information Processing
  • Motor Skills
  • Psychology
  • Psychophysiology
  • Situational Awareness
  • Task Performance And Analysis

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

Readers

  • Brain and Cognitive Science; Experimental Psychology; Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Instructional Design and Training Evaluation.