Citation

Gutzwiller RS, Wickens CD, Clegg BA. Theor. Issues Ergonomics Sci. 2019; 20(2): 196-214.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/1463922X.2018.1522556

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

When multitasking in a demanding environment, operators strategically switch between tasks. Two influences on this multi-task management behaviour are the perceived rewards gained from performing a task, and the perceived effort a task requires in order to be completed. Proportionally, reward over effort is 'rate of return', expressing that either reward or effort changing over time spent performing a task, may influence multitasking behaviour. In the current experiment, two of four tasks within a multitasking paradigm provided constant or diminishing reward and required either constant or increasing effort in their performance. For on-going tasks, decreasing reward and increasing effort required both increased the probability of a task switch. The theory contributed here supports the study of multi-task management, and task switching model development. We discuss each in the context of safety-critical applications.

Language: en

Keywords

Decision-making; multi-tasking; reward; task management; task switching; time on task