Validating the Strategic Task Overload Management (STOM) Model Using MATB II and Eye-tracking

Operators can be overloaded and struggle to make sense of and prioritize multiple tasks. Task selection in these cases is of utmost importance. We replicated an experiment using the Multi Attribute Task Battery II (MATB II) for validating a model of strategic task switching (STOM), adding eye tracking measurement, resulting in a new assessment. Task difficulty affected how operators switched tasks, while priority had little to no effect. Newly measured for STOM, eye tracking revealed a link between task difficulty and time spent performing a task but failed to meet predictions for interest and priority effects. The outcome of the validation effort as it relates to the STOM model, as well as eye tracking implications, are discussed.