Mental load and mental effort: A longitudinal analysis of performance on a faultfinding task with low and high demand

Abstract

Although there is evidence for the strategic allocation of resources in cognitive task perfonnance, a satisfactory account of underlying mechanisms is lacking. In this paper, an exploratory study investigating the roles of two control mechanisms, mental load and mental effort, is reported. Two groups of subjects perfonned a simulated fault-finding task over nine 20 minute blocks. The high load group simultaneously perfonned a memory task. A range of gross perfonnance measures, process perfonnance measures, and self ratings are reported. The results are discussed in tenns of a predominantly resource driven infonnation processing system in which load and effort interact to structure performance and experience. The need for a systemic approach to the analysis of such a system is noted.