School of Management, Xi'an University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, 710054, China.
Geovis Spatial Technology Co.,Ltd, Xi'an, 710100, China.
Appl Ergon. 2023 Nov;113:104099. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2023.104099. Epub 2023 Jul 20.
Operating an aircraft requires pilots to handle a significant amount of multi-modal information, which creates a high working memory load. Detecting auditory alarms in this high-load scenario is crucial for aviation safety. According to cognitive control load theory, an increase in working memory load may enhance distractor interference, resulting in improved detection sensitivity for task-irrelevant stimuli. Therefore, understanding the effect of working memory load on auditory alarm detection is of particular interest in aviation safety research. The studies were designed to investigate the effect of storage load and executive function load of working memory on auditory alarm detection during aeronautical decision-making through three experiments. In Experiment 1 and 2, participants performed an aeronautical decision-making task while also detecting an auditory alarm during the retention interval of a working memory task (visual-spatial, visual-verbal and auditory-verbal). In Experiment 3, participants were required to detect an auditory alarm while performing the 2-back and 3-back aeronautical decision-making tasks. Experiment 1 found that the auditory alarm sensitivity was higher in conditions of low visual-spatial working memory storage load compare to high load conditions. Experiment 2 found that a high storage load of visual-verbal working memory reduced auditory alarm sensitivity but auditory-verbal working memory load did not. Experiment 3 found that, unlike storage load, auditory alarm sensitivity was stronger under high executive function load relative to low executive function load. These findings show that working memory storage load and executive function load have different effects on auditory alarm sensitivity. The relationship between executive function and auditory alarm sensitivity supports cognitive control load theory, while the impact of the storage function on auditory alarm sensitivity does not adhere to this theory.
操作飞机需要飞行员处理大量多模态信息，这会给工作记忆带来很高的负荷。在这种高负荷的情况下，检测听觉警报对于航空安全至关重要。根据认知控制负荷理论，工作记忆负荷的增加可能会增强分心干扰，从而提高对任务无关刺激的检测敏感性。因此，了解工作记忆负荷对听觉警报检测的影响在航空安全研究中尤为重要。本研究旨在通过三个实验探讨工作记忆的存储负荷和执行功能负荷对航空决策过程中听觉警报检测的影响。在实验 1 和实验 2 中，参与者在执行航空决策任务的同时，在工作记忆任务（视觉空间、视觉言语和听觉言语）的保持间隔中检测听觉警报。在实验 3 中，参与者在执行 2 回和 3 回航空决策任务的同时，需要检测听觉警报。实验 1 发现，在低视觉空间工作记忆存储负荷条件下，听觉警报的敏感性高于高负荷条件。实验 2 发现，高视觉言语工作记忆存储负荷降低了听觉警报的敏感性，但听觉言语工作记忆负荷没有。实验 3 发现，与存储负荷不同，听觉警报的敏感性在高执行功能负荷下比低执行功能负荷下更强。这些发现表明，工作记忆存储负荷和执行功能负荷对听觉警报敏感性有不同的影响。执行功能与听觉警报敏感性之间的关系支持认知控制负荷理论，而存储功能对听觉警报敏感性的影响则不符合该理论。
