ABSTRACT
The assessment of mental workload (MWL) is of crucial importance during the design and evaluation of complex systems. MWL represents the proportion of resources demanded by a task or set of tasks. There has been much debate as to the nature of MWL, with countless attempts at providing a definition. The construct of MWL has been investigated in a wide variety of domains, including aviation, air traffic control, military operations, driving and control room operation to name but a few. The assessment or measurement of MWL is used throughout the design life-cycle to inform system and task design, and to provide an evaluation of MWL imposed by existing operational systems and procedures. Physiological measures of MWL involve the measurement of those physiological aspects that may be affected by increased or decreased levels of workload. MWL assessment typically involves the use of a combination or battery of MWL assessment techniques.
