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Biomedical subjects

R M Touchstone

Publications and source records attributed to R M Touchstone.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Effects of monitoring under high and low taskload on detection of flashing and coloured radar targets.

While midair collisions between aircraft are extremely rare occurrences, 'near midair' incidents are more common. The present study sought to evaluate the gains in conspicuity that might be realized if flashing or colour were added as redundant cues to indicate the presence of unexpected, non-tracked aircraft entering controlled airspace, and to examine the extent to which increased taskload and fatigue might influence the expected gains. Sixty-four subjects monitored a simulated air traffic control task over a 2 h period for possible conflict situations (their primary task) under either high or low primary taskload conditions. They also monitored for occasional intrusions by light aircraft identifiable on the basis of target shape alone or with colour and/or flashing added as redundant cues. Flashing as a redundant cue was found to be superior to colour in all aspects tested; unlike colour, detection of flashing targets was unaffected by screen location and by changes in primary taskload. Flashing was also least affected by monitoring fatigue. It was concluded that the superiority of flashing over colour in attracting attention to objects in a display must be weighed against its possible potential for distraction. A practical means of accomplishing this in operational situations is through the use of touch sensitive displays to both acknowledge/confirm target location and to deactivate flashing.

Accidents, Aviation↗
PubMed1989

Detection efficiency on an air traffic control monitoring task with and without computer aiding.

Future levels of air traffic control automation will incorporate computer-aided features designed to alert the controller by displaying information that will identify upcoming problems and suggest solutions. Concerns have been expressed that reliance on such aids may lead to a reduced capacity by controllers to detect and respond to computer failure. The present study employed a simulated ATC monitoring task with a computer feature designed to detect possible aircraft conflicts. The ability of subjects to detect occasional failures of the computer feature in detecting problem situations was compared with detection efficiency for these same situations when no computer aiding was provided. The hypothesis that alertness would be lower and detection less efficient with computer aiding than when no aiding was employed was not supported. Applications and limitations of the findings to the problem of complacency in automated systems are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Visual serach performance during simulated radar observation with and without a sweepline.

A complex vigilance task was used to study the effect of a radar sweepline on attentional processes. The visual display was designed to approximate an automated air traffic control radar display. There were 28 men and women, half assigned to the sweep and half to the no-sweep condition, tested over a 2-h session. Although the no-sweep appeared to be generally superior to the sweep condition in all measures of detection of efficiency, none of the differences was significant. Measures of eye fixation paralleled the patterns of change in performance during the task session. However, as with performance, mean fixation durations for the sweep and no-sweep conditions did not differ, nor were individual differences in scanning activity related to performance. Possible reasons for the lack of relationship between scanning activity and performance are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Comparison of the vigilance performance of men and women using a simulated radar task.

The present study examined the question of possible sex differences in the ability to sustain attention to a complex monitoring task requiring only a detection response to critical stimulus changes. The visual display was designed to approximate a futuristic, highly automated air traffic control radar display containing computer-generated alphanumeric symbols. There were 26 men and 26 women tested, each over a 2-h session. Sixteen targets appeared on the screen at all times, with 10 signals (a designated change in the alphanumerics) randomly presented during each 0.5 h of the test session. Detection latency to the signals increased significantly during the session, but there was no evidence of any significant differences between the sexes in the magnitude or pattern of this increase. The results are discussed in terms of a general decline in alertness that was apparently equal for both sexes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

Reactions to sonic booms: a report of two studies and a general evaluation of startle effects.

Two separate studies are reported. The first attempted to determine a sonic boom level below which startle would not occurr. Subjects were exposed indoors to six simulated sonic booms having outside overpressures of 50, 30, and 16 N/m-2 (inside levels of 74, 71, and 65 dBA). Approximately 20% of the subjects gave small arm-hand responses to the two higher exposure levels, while none responded to the lowest level. In the second study, subjects were exposed indoors to a series of 12 simulated booms in order to assess habituation effects. Outside overpressures were 130 and 50 N/m-2 (indoor levels of 81 and 72 dBA). Significant, but not complete, habituation occurred to booms of both levels. Autonomic and eyeblink responses, as well as ratings of annoyance, were obtained in both studies. The final section summarizes the expected behavioral, autonomic, and subjective effects of exposure to various levels of sonic booms.

Adaptation, Physiological↗