Using Variable-Rate Alerting to Counter Boredom in Human Supervisory Control

Abstract

A low task load, long duration experiment was conducted to evaluate the impact of cyclical attention switching strategies on operator performance in supervisory domains. The impetus for such a study stems from the lack of prior work to improve human-system performance in low task load supervisory domains through the use of design interventions. In this study, a design intervention in the form of auditory alerts is introduced and the effects of the alerts are examined. The test bed consists of a video game-like simulation environment, which allows a single operator the ability to supervise multiple unmanned vehicles. Each participant in the study completed two different four hour sessions, with and without the alerts. The results suggest that the alerts can be useful for operators who are distracted for a considerable amount of time, but that the alerts may not be appropriate for operators who are able to sustain directed attention for prolonged periods.

Autopilot, Mind Wandering, and the Out of the Loop Performance Problem

“…Within an operational environment, systems need to minimize any disruption from the detectors, especially in safety critical environments. Mkrtchyan et al ( 2012 ) described an ATC interface designed to detect and counter lapses of attention using EEG, thanks to the officer sitting and the stable environment. However, it can be extremely difficult to achieve for pilots and drivers.…”

Boredom in the Workplace

“…In terms of personality traits, extraversion has been associated with boredom proneness (Ahmed, 1990), but high levels of conscientiousness have shown the opposite effect (Mkrtchyan, Macbeth, Solovey, Ryan, & Cummings, 2012). Other personality traits of those people able to more effectively cope with boredom include the ability to spend time alone, high measures of attentional capacity, and low formal diagnostic indices of psychopathology (Hamilton, Haier, & Buchsbaum, 1984).…”

“…Another method to change task engagement is to simply notify or alert the operator periodically so that he or she could refocus attention to the task. One study has shown that such a strategy can be useful for operators prone to boredom and distracted for a considerable amount of time (Mkrtchyan et al, 2012). Others have suggested that using biofeedback (such as using electroencephalogram [EEG] to monitor physiological processes) and displaying this information to an operator in real time can potentially alert an operator to refocus.…”