Pretorius A, Cilliers P J
Ergonomics. 2007 Sep;50(9):1503-15. doi: 10.1080/00140130701379055.
The objective of this study is to develop a method for determining the mental workload imposed on train control officers that is objective and quantifiable and can stand up to the tests of validity and reliability. This technical note reports on the methodology used in the development process, as well as the assessment of the criteria considered for the mental workload index (MWLI). The MWLI aims at solving an existing operational shortcoming and could be used as a tool for predicting the mental workload imposed on an operator at a particular train control centre. The method could be applied to manage and improve operational safety in the rail transport environment. A participative approach was followed in the development process. A work group comprising expert users of the system was involved in identifying task factors and assigning weights for task and moderating factors. The newly developed MWLI consists of three task factors and 11 moderating factors, each with a different weight in terms of its contribution to overall mental workload. The work group performed several iterations to reach final consensus and acceptance of the factors and their respective contributions to the MWLI. The criteria and development processes are discussed and the final index with the task and moderating factors is presented.
本研究的目的是开发一种确定列车调度员心理负荷的方法，该方法应客观、可量化，并且能够经受住效度和信度的检验。本技术报告介绍了开发过程中使用的方法，以及对心理负荷指数（MWLI）所考虑标准的评估。MWLI旨在解决现有的操作缺陷，并可作为预测特定列车调度中心操作员心理负荷的工具。该方法可应用于铁路运输环境中的运营安全管理和改进。开发过程采用了参与式方法。一个由系统专家用户组成的工作组参与了识别任务因素、为任务和调节因素分配权重以及进行协调的工作。新开发的MWLI由三个任务因素和11个调节因素组成，每个因素对总体心理负荷的贡献权重不同。工作组进行了多次迭代，以达成对这些因素及其对MWLI各自贡献的最终共识和认可。文中讨论了相关标准和开发过程，并给出了包含任务和调节因素的最终指数。
