Examining the Effects of Combined Stressors on Dynamic Task Performance

Abstract

In this study, I examined the effects of sleep loss, time pressure, and workload on performance in a dynamic air traffic control (ATC) task. Participants performed the ATC task following 8, 16, and 24 hr of sleep loss under conditions of low and high time pressure and workload. In general, the findings revealed that ATC performance was susceptible to the effects of time pressure and workload. However, there was only partial support for the assumption that the effects of sleep loss on performance are dependent on the level of cognitive challenge posed by a task. Furthermore, I observed a dissociation between ATC performance and subjective assessments of workload (i.e., the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index; Hart & Staveland, 1988), suggesting that the cognitive processes responsible for performance are not identical to those processes responsible for subjective assessments of workload.