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Acquisition and Transfer of Attention Allocation Strategies in a Multiple-Task Work Environment

University of North Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, dwang{at}unf.edu

Robert W. Proctor

Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana

David F. Pick

Purdue University-Calumet, Hammond, Indiana

Objective: Payoff effects on strategy development and change were assessed in a synthetic work environment, SYNWORK1. Background: Many work settings require several tasks to be performed concurrently. It is important to know how the strategies used in performing the respective tasks vary with payoffs. Method: Sixty students performed four tasks in SYNWORK1, for which points are received for correct responses and lost for incorrect responses. Individual-task payoffs were varied between participants and were changed after 8 and 12 sessions to examine the effects of a previous strategy on development of a new strategy. Results: Participants were sensitive to initial payoffs and modified their strategies when payoffs changed. However, residual effects of prior payoffs were evident. Conclusion: Payoffs for multiple-task environments need to be explicit, and practice should be provided for strategy development. When payoffs change, strategies adopted reflect current and previous payoffs. Application: The findings can be applied to the design of payoff schedules for multiple-task environments.

Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Vol. 49, No. 6, 995-1004 (2007)
DOI: 10.1518/001872007X249866


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