ABSTRACT
Mental workload is a pervasive concept throughout the ergonomics and human factors literature and it represents a topic of increasing importance. As modern technology in many working environments imposes more cognitive demands upon operators than physical demands, the understanding of how mental workload impinges on performance is critical. Practitioners should therefore know how to assess mental workload accurately and apply the results appropriately. This chapter provides a general overview of the current state of affairs regarding the understanding, measurement and application of mental workload in the design of complex systems.
