Tracking and discrete dual task performance with different spatial stimulus–response mappings

Abstract

The effect of spatial compatibility on dual-task performance for various display–control configurations was studied using a tracking task and a discrete four-choice response task. A total of 36 participants took part in this study, and they were asked to perform the primary tracking task while at the same time to respond to an occasional signal. Different levels of compatibility between the stimuli and responses of the discrete response task were found to lead to different degrees of influence on the tracking task. However, degradation of performance was observed for both tasks, which was probably due to resource competition for the visual and spatial resources required for simultaneous task operation and required for bimanual responses. No right–left prevalence effect for the spatial compatibility task was observed in this study, implying that the use of unimanual two-finger responses may not provide the right conditions for a significant effect in the horizontal right–left dimension.

Practitioner Summary: The effect of spatial compatibility in multiple display–control configurations was examined in a dual-task paradigm. The analyses of keen competition for visual and spatial resources in processing the dual tasks under different degrees of stimulus–response compatibility provide useful ergonomics design implications and recommendations for visual interfaces requiring frequent visual scanning.

Keywords::

• multiple resources
• spatial compatibility
• displays and controls
• tracking

Acknowledgements

The work described in this paper was fully supported by a grant from City University of Hong Kong (SRG7004079).