Hysteresis in Mental Workload and Task Performance

2016 ◽  
Vol 58 (8) ◽  
pp. 1143-1157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reinier J. Jansen ◽  
Ben D. Sawyer ◽  
René van Egmond ◽  
Huib de Ridder ◽  
Peter A. Hancock
Keyword(s):  
Mental Workload ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Auditory Memory ◽  
Task Demand ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Lane Changing ◽  
Transient Nature ◽  
Hysteretic Effect ◽  
And Performance

Objective: We examine how transitions in task demand are manifested in mental workload and performance in a dual-task setting. Background: Hysteresis has been defined as the ongoing influence of demand levels prior to a demand transition. Authors of previous studies predominantly examined hysteretic effects in terms of performance. However, little is known about the temporal development of hysteresis in mental workload. Method: A simulated driving task was combined with an auditory memory task. Participants were instructed to prioritize driving or to prioritize both tasks equally. Three experimental conditions with low, high, and low task demands were constructed by manipulating the frequency of lane changing. Multiple measures of subjective mental workload were taken during experimental conditions. Results: Contrary to our prediction, no hysteretic effects were found after the high- to low-demand transition. However, a hysteretic effect in mental workload was found within the high-demand condition, which degraded toward the end of the high condition. Priority instructions were not reflected in performance. Conclusion: Online assessment of both performance and mental workload demonstrates the transient nature of hysteretic effects. An explanation for the observed hysteretic effect in mental workload is offered in terms of effort regulation. Application: An informed arrival at the scene is important in safety operations, but peaks in mental workload should be avoided to prevent buildup of fatigue. Therefore, communication technologies should incorporate the historical profile of task demand.

Preparation of a Public Piano Performance: The Relation between Practice and Performance

1998 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas C. Lehmann ◽  
K. Anders Ericsson
Keyword(s):  
Music Performance ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Subjective Ratings ◽  
Public Performance ◽  
Piano Performance ◽  
Preparation Time ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Preparation Period ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Practice Time

This study investigated an expert pianist's nine-month preparation for a public music performance (recital) through the collection of practice diaries and MIDI recordings of the eight scheduled pieces. Recordings were made under the experimentally varied conditions of solitary performance and public performance. The practice diaries revealed that the expert (an advanced student performer) allocated practice time consistently across the entire preparation period and tended to use mornings to practice the pieces perceived as being more difficult. Total preparation time for each of the pieces could be predicted on the basis of the pianist's subjective ratings of complexity and independent ratings of complexity given by other experts. An analysis of the performance data showed that, near the time of the recital, variability in performance tempo was large between pieces but very small for multiple renditions of the same piece, even under the different experimental conditions. Thus, to attain a highly reproducible public performance, the expert allocated practice time in response to task demands and engaged in specific preparations that would safeguard the performance against unexpected problems.

STEREOTYPE THREAT AND STEREOTYPE LIFT: THE CASE OF 10 YEAR OLD GIRLS AND BOYS

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 21-32
Author(s):  
Anna Kwiatkowska ◽  
Małgorzata Mróz
Keyword(s):  
Stereotype Threat ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Significant Interaction ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
The Self ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Significant Interaction Effect ◽  
Significant Drop ◽  
Stereotype Lift ◽  
And Performance

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of stereotypical and counter-stereotypicalinformation on the self-esteem and cognitive performance of 10-year-old children. Our sampleconsisted of 37 girls and 37 boys. Children were presented with 10 “mathematical” puzzles in threeexperimental conditions: stereotypical (boys are better), counter-stereotypical (girls are better), andthe control condition (no particular information). Self-esteem was measured using a non-verbaltask. The results showed a significant interaction effect of “condition x sex” on self-esteem andperformance. Girls revealed no significant differences between control and experimental conditions,while boys showed a significant drop in self-esteem and performance in the counter-stereotypicalcondition as compared to the control condition and a significant lift in self-esteem and performancein the stereotypical condition as compared to the control condition.

EXPRESS: Spatial-numerical associations from a novel paradigm support the Mental Number Line account

2021 ◽  
pp. 174702182110087
Author(s):  
Lauren Aulet ◽  
Sami R Yousif ◽  
Stella Lourenco
Keyword(s):  
Memory Task ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Number Line ◽  
Mental Number Line ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Numerical Magnitude ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Alternative Account ◽  
Subject Design ◽  
Multiple Tasks

Multiple tasks have been used to demonstrate the relation between numbers and space. The classic interpretation of these directional spatial-numerical associations (d-SNAs) is that they are the product of a mental number line (MNL), in which numerical magnitude is intrinsically associated with spatial position. The alternative account is that d-SNAs reflect task demands, such as explicit numerical judgments and/or categorical responses. In the novel ‘Where was The Number?’ task, no explicit numerical judgments were made. Participants were simply required to reproduce the location of a numeral within a rectangular space. Using a between-subject design, we found that numbers, but not letters, biased participants’ responses along the horizontal dimension, such that larger numbers were placed more rightward than smaller numbers, even when participants completed a concurrent verbal working memory task. These findings are consistent with the MNL account, such that numbers specifically are inherently left-to-right oriented in Western participants.

Does What We See Shape History? Examining Workload History as a Function of Performance and Ambient/Focal Visual Attention

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Shannon P. Devlin ◽  
Jennifer K. Byham ◽  
Sara Lu Riggs
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Performance Measure ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Unexpected Finding ◽  
Impact Performance ◽  
History Effects ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Workload History ◽  
Over Time

Changes in task demands can have delayed adverse impacts on performance. This phenomenon, known as the workload history effect, is especially of concern in dynamic work domains where operators manage fluctuating task demands. The existing workload history literature does not depict a consistent picture regarding how these effects manifest, prompting research to consider measures that are informative on the operator's process. One promising measure is visual attention patterns, due to its informativeness on various cognitive processes. To explore its ability to explain workload history effects, participants completed a task in an unmanned aerial vehicle command and control testbed where workload transitioned gradually and suddenly. The participants’ performance and visual attention patterns were studied over time to identify workload history effects. The eye-tracking analysis consisted of using a recently developed eye-tracking metric called coefficient K , as it indicates whether visual attention is more focal or ambient. The performance results found workload history effects, but it depended on the workload level, time elapsed, and performance measure. The eye-tracking analysis suggested performance suffered when focal attention was deployed during low workload, which was an unexpected finding. When synthesizing these results, they suggest unexpected visual attention patterns can impact performance immediately over time. Further research is needed; however, this work shows the value of including a real-time visual attention measure, such as coefficient K , as a means to understand how the operator manages varying task demands in complex work environments.

scholarly journals Electrophysiological and performance variations following driving events involving an increase in mental workload

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugo Loeches De La Fuente ◽  
Catherine Berthelon ◽  
Alexandra Fort ◽  
Virginie Etienne ◽  
Marleen De Weser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Workload ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Performance Variations

Caffeine counteracts the ergogenic action of muscle creatine loading

1996 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 452-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Vandenberghe ◽  
N. Gillis ◽  
M. Van Leemputte ◽  
P. Van Hecke ◽  
F. Vanstapel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intermittent Exercise ◽  
Creatine Supplementation ◽  
Knee Extensors ◽  
Caffeine Intake ◽  
Resonance Spectroscopy ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Before And After ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Exercise Fatigue ◽  
Voluntary Contractions

This study aimed to compare the effects of oral creatine (Cr) supplementation with creatine supplementation in combination with caffeine (Cr+C) on muscle phosphocreatine (PCr) level and performance in healthy male volunteers (n = 9). Before and after 6 days of placebo, Cr (0.5 g x kg-1 x day-1), or Cr (0.5 g x kg-1 x day-1) + C (5 mg x kg-1 x day-1) supplementation, 31P-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the gastrocnemius muscle and a maximal intermittent exercise fatigue test of the knee extensors on an isokinetic dynamometer were performed. The exercise consisted of three consecutive maximal isometric contractions and three interval series of 90, 80, and 50 maximal voluntary contractions performed with a rest interval of 2 min between the series. Muscle ATP concentration remained constant over the three experimental conditions. Cr and Cr+C increased (P < 0.05) muscle PCr concentration by 4-6%. Dynamic torque production, however, was increased by 10-23% (P < 0.05) by Cr but was not changed by Cr+C. Torque improvement during Cr was most prominent immediately after the 2-min rest between the exercise bouts. The data show that Cr supplementation elevates muscle PCr concentration and markedly improves performance during intense intermittent exercise. This ergogenic effect, however, is completely eliminated by caffeine intake.

scholarly journals Heart Rate Variability Analysis and Performance during a Repeated Mental Workload Task

2017 ◽  
pp. 69-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rossana Castaldo ◽  
Luis Montesinos ◽  
Tim S. Wan ◽  
Andra Serban ◽  
Sebastiano Massaro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Mental Workload ◽  
Heart Rate Variability Analysis ◽  
Variability Analysis ◽  
And Performance

Safety and Performance Evaluation of Su2ura Approximation, a New Suturing Device, in Pigs

2021 ◽  
pp. 019262332110679
Author(s):  
Yuval Ramot ◽  
Serge Rousselle ◽  
Michal Steiner ◽  
Yossi Lavie ◽  
Nati Ezov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Minimal Invasive Surgery ◽  
Minimal Invasive ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Single Action ◽  
Treatment Groups ◽  
Novel Device ◽  
Fibrotic Scar ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Tissue Approximation

One of the challenging aspects of minimal invasive surgery (MIS) is intracorporal suturing, which can be significantly time-consuming. Therefore, there is a rising need for devices that can facilitate the suturing procedure in MIS. Su2ura Approximation Device (Su2ura Approximation) is a novel device developed to utilize the insertion of anchors threaded with stitches to allow a single action placement of a suture. The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term safety and tissue approximation of Su2ura Approximation in comparison to Endo Stitch + Surgidac sutures in female domestic pigs. All incision sites were successfully closed by both methods. Firm consolidation within and around the incision site was noted in several animals in both treatment groups, which corresponded histopathologically to islands of ectopic cartilage or bone spicules within the fibrotic scar. These changes reflect heterotopic ossification that is commonly seen in the healing of abdominal operation sites in pigs. No other abnormal findings were observed throughout the study period. In conclusion, the use of Su2ura Approximation under the present experimental conditions revealed no safety concerns.

Spatial-numerical associations from a novel paradigm support the mental number line account

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren S Aulet ◽  
Sami Ryan Yousif ◽  
Stella F. Lourenco
Keyword(s):  
Memory Task ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Number Line ◽  
Mental Number Line ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Numerical Magnitude ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Alternative Account ◽  
Subject Design ◽  
Multiple Tasks

Multiple tasks have been used to demonstrate the relation between numbers and space. The classic interpretation of these directional spatial-numerical associations (d-SNAs) is that they are the product of a mental number line (MNL), in which numerical magnitude is intrinsically associated with spatial position. The alternative account is that d-SNAs reflect task demands, such as explicit numerical judgments and/or categorical responses. In the novel ‘Where was The Number?’ task, no explicit numerical judgments were made. Participants were simply required to reproduce the location of a numeral within a rectangular space. Using a between-subject design, we found that numbers, but not letters, biased participants’ responses along the horizontal dimension, such that larger numbers were placed more rightward than smaller numbers, even when participants completed a concurrent verbal working memory task. These findings are consistent with the MNL account, such that numbers specifically are inherently left-to-right oriented in Western participants.

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