Psychology Commons^™

Cusp Catastrophe Models For Cognitive Workload And Fatigue In Teams, Stephen J. Guastello, Anthony N. Correro, David E. C. Marra

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

The use of two cusp catastrophe models has been effective for untangling the effects of cognitive workload, fatigue, and other complications on the performance of individuals. This study is the first to use the two models to separate workload and fatigue effects on team performance. In an experiment involving an emergency response simulation, 360 undergraduates were organized into 44 teams. Workload was varied by team size, number of opponents, and time pressure. The cusp models for workload and fatigue were more accurate for describing trends in team performance criteria compared to linear alternatives. Individual differences in elasticity-rigidity were less important …

Individual Differences In The Experience Of Cognitive Workload, Stephen J. Guastello, Anton Shircel, Matthew Malon, Paul Timm

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

This study investigated the roles of four psychosocial variables – anxiety, conscientiousness, emotional intelligence, and Protestant work ethic – on subjective ratings of cognitive workload as measured by the Task Load Index (TLX) and the further connections between the four variables and TLX ratings of task performance. The four variables represented aspects of an underlying construct of elasticity versus rigidity in response to workload. Participants were 141 undergraduates who performed a vigilance task under different speeded conditions while working on a jigsaw puzzle for 90 minutes. Regression analysis showed that anxiety and emotional intelligence were the two variables most proximally …

Catastrophe Models For Cognitive Workload And Fatigue In A Vigilance Dual Task, Stephen J. Guastello, Matthew Malon, Paul Timm, Kelsey Ann Weinberger, Hillary Gorin, Megan Fabisch, Kirsten Poston

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Objective: This study investigated two cusp catastrophe models for cognitive workload and fatigue for a vigilance dual task, the role of emotional intelligence and frustration in the performance dynamics, and the dynamics for individuals and teams of two participants.

Background: The effects of workload, fatigue, practice, and time on a specific task can be separated with the two models and an appropriate experimental design. Group dynamics add further complications to the understanding of workload and fatigue effects for teams.

Method: In this experiment, 141 undergraduates responded to target stimuli that appeared on a simulated security camera display at three rates …

Personality Trait Theory And Multitasking Performance: Implications For Ergonomic Design, Andrea D. Guastello, Stephen J. Guastello, Denise D. Guastello

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Although system designers usually minimise the role of individual differences in operation, personality variables could explain differences in multitasking performance. A concomitant theoretical issue is whether primary or surface personality traits do a better job of predicting performance than the Five-Factor Model (FFM) or global traits. A sample of 174 undergraduates completed the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF), which was followed by a performance task. A computer-based task that measured simultaneous performance on an arithmetic task and a mental rotation task was used to measure multitasking performance; scores measured the percent accuracy. Primary traits for low emotional sensitivity and high …

Cusp Catastrophe Models For Cognitive Workload And Fatigue In A Verbally Cued Pictorial Memory Task, Stephen J. Guastello, Henry Boeh, Michael Schimmels, Hillary Gorin, Samuel Huschen, Erin Davis, Natalie E. Peters, Megan Fabisch, Kirsten Poston

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate two cusp catastrophe models for cognitive workload and fatigue. They share similar cubic polynomial structures but derive from different underlying processes and contain variables that contribute to flexibility with respect to load and the ability to compensate for fatigue.

Background: Cognitive workload and fatigue both have a negative impact on performance and have been difficult to separate. Extended time on task can produce fatigue, but it can also produce a positive effect from learning or automaticity.

Method: In this two-part experiment, 129 undergraduates performed tasks involving spelling, arithmetic, memory, and visual …