ABSTRACT
When the number of stimuli and responses, or display elements and controls, is small, each stimulus can be mapped compatibly to its spatially corresponding response to ensure fast and accurate performance. However, in many complex display-control configurations, it is impossible to have a unique mapping of each stimulus to a spatially corresponding response. Instead, because of the limited space available, many stimuli may be presented in several fixed locations on the screen and mapped to a limited number of response actuators on the control panel. For these complex display-control configurations, the operator may be required to maintain several concurrent mappings of stimuli to responses, including compatible spatial mappings, incompatible spatial mappings, or mappings of symbols to different responses. For example, a navigation device may present a green arrow pointing to the left or right to signal a left or right turn, respectively, which is a spatially compatible mapping. This device can also be used to signal where traffic accidents or traffic jams are currently located, by placing a red “X” in those locations. In this case, the driver wants to avoid the red Xs, going to the left when the X is presented to the driver’s right and going to the right when the X is to the driver’s left, which is an incompatible spatial mapping. The driver must remember to respond compatibly to one set of events (green arrows) and incompatibly to the other set (red Xs).
