Sturman Daniel, Wiggins Mark W, Auton Jaime C, Loft Shayne, Helton William S, Westbrook Johanna I, Braithwaite Jeffrey
Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
School of Psychology, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
Front Psychol. 2019 Aug 27;10:1967. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01967. eCollection 2019.
This study was designed to examine whether qualified practitioners' cue utilization is predictive of their sustained attention performance during regular operational tasks. Simulated laboratory studies have demonstrated that cue utilization differentiates cognitive load during process control tasks. However, it was previously unclear whether similar results would be demonstrated with qualified practitioners during familiar operational tasks. Australian distribution network service provider (DNSP) operators were classified with either higher or lower cue utilization based on an assessment of cue utilization within the context of electrical power distribution. During two, 20-min periods of operators' regular workdays, physiological measures of workload were assessed through changes in cerebral oxygenation in the prefrontal cortex compared to baseline, and through eye behavior metrics (fixation rates, saccade amplitude, and fixation dispersion). The results indicated that there were no statistically significant differences in eye behavior metrics, based on levels of cue utilization. However, as hypothesized, during both sessions, operators with higher cue utilization demonstrated smaller increases in cerebral oxygenation in the prefrontal cortex from baseline, compared to operators with lower cue utilization. The results are consistent with the proposition that operators with higher cue utilization experience lower cognitive load during periods of regular activity during their workday, compared to operators with lower cue utilization. Assessments of cue utilization could help identify operators who are better able to sustain attention during regular operational tasks, as well as those who may benefit from cue-based training interventions.
本研究旨在检验合格从业者的线索利用情况是否能预测他们在常规操作任务中的持续注意力表现。模拟实验室研究表明,线索利用在过程控制任务中可区分认知负荷。然而,之前尚不清楚在熟悉的操作任务中,合格从业者是否会出现类似结果。根据在配电环境下对线索利用的评估,澳大利亚配电网络服务提供商(DNSP)的操作员被分为线索利用较高或较低两类。在操作员工作日的两个20分钟时间段内,通过与基线相比前额叶皮层脑氧合的变化以及眼动行为指标(注视率、扫视幅度和注视分散度)来评估工作量的生理指标。结果表明,基于线索利用水平,眼动行为指标没有统计学上的显著差异。然而,正如所假设的,在两个时间段内,与线索利用较低的操作员相比,线索利用较高的操作员在前额叶皮层中脑氧合相对于基线的增加幅度较小。这些结果与以下观点一致:与线索利用较低的操作员相比,线索利用较高的操作员在工作日的常规活动期间经历的认知负荷较低。对线索利用的评估有助于识别在常规操作任务中更能保持注意力的操作员,以及那些可能从基于线索的培训干预中受益的操作员。