Showing papers on "Task analysis published in 1971"

Driver information needs

Abstract: THE DRIVING TASK WAS ANALYZED TO DETERMINE THE NATURE AND INTERRELATIONSHIP OF THE SUBTASKS THE DRIVER PERFORMS AND THE INFORMATION NEEDED TO PERFORM THEM SAFELY AND EFFICIENTLY. DATA WERE DEVELOPED USING A MODIFIED INFORMATION-DECISION-ACTION TASK ANALYSIS METHOD APPLIED TO SEVERAL LONG DRIVING TRIPS. THE TASK ANALYSIS PROVIDED THE BASIS FOR CATEGORIZING THE VARIOUS COMPONENT DRIVING SUBTASKS, IDENTIFYING INFORMATION NEEDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SUBTASKS AND THEIR PRESENT METHODS OF SATISFACTION, AND PROVIDING A STRUCTURE TO THE DRIVING TASK. DRIVING SUBTASKS WERE CATEGORIZED IN ACCORDANCE WITH INFORMATION-DECISION- ACTION COMPLEXITY AND ORDERED ALONG A CONTINUUM. THE SUBTASKS WERE FOUND TO FALL ALONG A HIERARCHICAL SCALE. VEHICLE CONTROL SUBTASKS SUCH AS STEERING AND SPEED CONTROL WERE ORDERED AT THE LOWEST LEVEL AND IDENTIFIED AS MICRO-PERFORMANCE (CONTROL). AT AN INTERMEDIATE LEVEL, SUBTASKS ASSOCIATED WITH RESPONSE TO ROAD AND TRAFFIC SITUATIONS WERE IDENTIFIED AS SITUATIONAL PERFORMANCE (GUIDANCE). THE HIGHEST LEVEL SUBTASKS, ENCOMPASSING TRIP PLANNING AND PREPARATION AND ROUTE FINDING, WERE IDENTIFIED AS MACRO-PERFORMANCE (NAVIGATION). PERFORMANCE OF SUBTASKS AT THE HIGH LEVEL OF THE HIERARCHY INVOLVES COMPONENT PERFORMANCE AT A LOWER LEVEL. DRIVERS SEARCH THE ENVIRONMENT FOR INFORMATION NEEDED TO PERFORM THE VARIOUS SUBTASKS AND SHIFT ATTENTION FROM ONE INFORMATION SOURCE TO ANOTHER BY A PROCESS OF LOAD-SHEDDING. WHEN LOAD-SHEDDING IS REQUIRED DUE TO THE DEMANDS OF THE DRIVING SITUATION ENCOUNTERED, INFORMATION ASSOCIATED WITH SUBTASKS RELATIVE TO THE SUBJECTIVE NEEDS OF THE DRIVER IS ATTENDED TO, AND OTHER INFORMATION SOURCES ARE SHED. /AUTHOR/

Development of a Taxonomy of Human Performance: The Task Characteristics Approach to Performance Prediction

Abstract: : The development and evaluation of systems for describing and classifying tasks which can improve generalization of research results about human performance is essential for organizing, communicating, and implementing these research findings. The present report describes research undertaken to develop one such system--a task characteristics approach. Basic objectives were to develop descriptive characteristics of tasks; assess the reliability of rating scales devised to measure these characteristics; and determine if these characteristics represented correlates of performance. Major components of a task were identified and treated as categories within which to devise task characteristics or descriptors. Multiple correlations were obtained between task characteristic ratings and the performance measures.

Experimental study of group creativity: Task representation, group structure, and performance

Abstract: This article attempts to introduce and investigate a new variable in the experimental study of groups: the representation system. This study deals more specifically with the riile played by the representation of the task. This representation of the task constitutes the theory, the system of hypotheses individuals work out with respect to the nature of the task and the means to use in order to carry it out. The key results of this study are that group performance depends on the representation of the task, with optimum effectiveness achieved when the representation of the task and its objective nature coincide. Another finding is that the structure of communications within the group is determined by the representation of the task rather than by its objective character. It was also established that the representation of the task determines the cognitive process adopted by the group. Thus the entire group activity is tied to the representations in its midst. The group organizes itself, regulates itself interactions, and determines its priorities in terms of these representations.

Time Analyses of the Tasks of Approach Controllers in ATC

Abstract: A method is outlined modelling the task of an approach controller in an ATC system. Two main parts are distinguished. (1)The development of a flow diagram of the task, giving a qualitative description emphasizing the sequence of task components. (2)An attempt to quantify the task components in order to find out the bottlenecks in the task. A practical example is described. For 134 inbound nights the performance of the controller was recorded in a restricted form by measuring the times for the corresponding task components.

Systems Concepts and Computer-Managed Instruction: An Implementation and Validation Study.

Abstract: : The report describes the utilization of systems concepts in the development of a course which was presented to students via terminal-oriented, computer-managed instruction. In order to test this model of CMI, systems concepts were utilized to develop a course, Techniques of Programmed Instruction, a graduate-level course in the College of Education, Florida State. The model includes problem identification, task analysis, assessment of entry behaviors, behavioral objectives, criterion-referenced evaluation instruments, instructional sequence and strategy, media selection, implementation, and evaluation. In the evaluation study, several experimental treatment variations were investigated. One variable was the comparison of the performance of students who selected their own instructional sequence as compared to those who were required to follow a set sequence. The other comparison was between the performance of students who interacted with graduate assistants as they evaluated their progress in the development of a programmed instruction sequence. The other students interacted directly with the computer in order to assess their progress. The analysis of the results indicated no significant differences among the experimental treatment groups. An accurate analysis of the time and effort required on the project indicated that the development costs were approximately $9,000, while the implementation cost for 59 students was approximately $3,500. (Author)

Relationships Between the Characteristics of Academic Tasks and the Structure and Output of University Departments.

Abstract: : The social structure and output of a group of scholars at the University of Illinois were examined in terms of the task characteristics of their academic areas. On the basis of an earlier multidimensional analysis academic task areas were clustered according to their concern with objectivity and physical objects, application (pure vs. applied) and life systems vs. non-life system. Differences are noted in the degree to which they were socially connected to others, commitment to teaching, research, and service; the number of journal articles, monographs, and technical reports they published; and the number of dissertations they sponsored. The findings are discussed in terms of implications for research on tasks in universities and for the evaluation of faculty members.

Task Analysis for Criterion-Referenced Tests.

Abstract: standards used for judgment of the adequacy or inadequacy of an individual's performance are quite different in norm-refer enced and criterion-referenced tests. In the former, the standards arise from an examination of the performance of a standardiza tion population chosen to represent all the students who might ap propriately be asked to respond to the particular test items. The standards are the usual or "normal" performances for students at a particular age or grade level. The essential question is "How well is this individual doing compared to how others are doing?" In the latter, the standard is absolute rather than relative, arising from a specified task and the individual's ability or inability to complete that task. The standards, therefore, relate only to the individual and the task. The essential question to be answered by a criterion-referenced test is "Can this individual accomplish this task?" No consideration is given to comparison of what that individual can do with what others can do. It seems quite obvious, for this reason, that careful analysis of the task in which ade quacy is to be evaluated is a true prerequisite to the building of criterion-referenced tests.

Learning, Retention and Transfer in Military Training.

Abstract: : The report summarizes and analyzes the factors contributing to task difficulty in Naval jobs, and reports on further exploration of the influence of imagery and fidelity of simulation on learning, retention, and transfer. A survey of expert opinion regarding task difficulty and three experimental investigations were conducted during a one-year effort. The specific purpose of the task difficulty survey was to define those factors which significantly influence task difficulty in the operational Navy setting. These factors can be used to realistically manipulate the difficulty of tasks in laboratory investigations. Telephone interviews were conducted with 10 scientists, representing both military and civilian research organizations, to obtain the required information.

An Analysis of Content and Task Dimensions of Language Arts Items Designed to Measure Level of Content Attainment.

Abstract: ix