Switch It Up! How Context Influences the Efficiency of Redundancy Gains in a Peripheral Task

Abstract

Optimizing the time and accuracy with which peripheral tasks can be monitored concurrent with a central primary task is of paramount importance for human factors researchers developing human systems. Nonetheless, the design of peripheral task are often evaluated in isolation, and their effectiveness is assumed to generalize to multi-task contexts. Our work acknowledges that peripheral displays may be utilized in a variety of operational contexts. Across four experiments we examine peripheral task detection speeds under several contextual factors related to operator workload and task-set. We use the capacity coefficient from the Systems Factorial Technology framework to quantify the extent that context influences redundant signal enhancements in a peripheral detection task. Across four experiments we manipulated the presence, difficulty and stability of the primary task to simulate different workload contexts.Using a novel time-varying estimate of workload capacity, we show that efficiency in detecting redundant peripheral targets decreases with high primary task demands, contrary to previous findings. Our results also indicated higher capacity in less stable environments but a correspondingly greater workload impairment in these conditions.Implications for system design include consideration of the expected operator workload, as well as attention recruiting strategies to improve peripheral task detection speeds.

Influence of dual-task load on redundant signal processes

“…They later found this may persist even with complementary redundant signals (Howard et al, 2022). The work described in this paper expands on Howard et al (2022) to investigate the processing mechanisms of redundant signals while systematically manipulating the salience of the signals and the load of a centralized dual-task.…”

“…Performance in a detection reaction task (DRT) was measured as participants' RT to accurately detect one or two red squares that occasionally appeared in the periphery. Identical to previous work (Howard et al, 2022) The DFP informed the design of the DRT in this study (Houpt et al, 2014). Specifically, two squares occurred on 60% of trials and High or Low (or one of each) salience squares were equally probable.…”

“…Further, recent work set in a dual-task context demonstrates processing efficiency to a single peripherallypresented visual signal is reduced and cognitive processing strategies shift under high demands (Howard, Evans, et al, The Quantitative Methods for Psychology 2020; Garrett et al, 2019). They later found this may persist even with complementary redundant signals (Howard et al, 2022). The work described in this paper expands on Howard et al (2022) to investigate the processing mechanisms of redundant signals while systematically manipulating the salience of the signals and the load of a centralized dual-task.…”

“…Such work may be thought of as influencing the cognitive (i.e., attention) as opposed to perceptual (e.g., signal brightness) human limitations, coined "resource-limited" by Norman and Bobrow (1975). Only in recent years have researchers applied SFT to investigate how the larger task context, and hence the reserve re-source supply, may influence the cognitive processing strategy in a peripheral task involving redundant signal detection (Howard et al, 2022;Morey et al, 2018). The research described in this paper extends previous work to investigate the cognitive mechanisms for how redundant signal are processed under various dual-task loads through the application of SFT.…”

“…The goal of the current research is to identify how people process redundant signals in the periphery and assess if, and how, cognitive processes change in context of three centralized and continuous task difficulty levels. In a recent study, Howard et al (2022) suggested workload capacity depends on centralized task difficulty and the stability of the task load over time. However, further research is needed to determine why this shift in capacity occurs.…”