ABSTRACT
Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 516 Underlying Psychological Processes ............................................................................................. 519 Classication of Mental Workload Techniques and Measures ...................................................... 524
Criteria for MWL Techniques and Measures ............................................................................ 524 Review of Some of the More Popular MWL Measurement Techniques ....................................... 527
Analytic Techniques .................................................................................................................. 527 Comparability Analysis ........................................................................................................ 527 Mathematical Models ........................................................................................................... 528 Expert Opinion ..................................................................................................................... 528 Task Analytic Methods ......................................................................................................... 528 Simulation Models ............................................................................................................... 529
Empirical Techniques ................................................................................................................ 530 Primary Task Performance ................................................................................................... 530 Secondary Task Techniques .................................................................................................. 530
Psychophysiological Techniques ............................................................................................... 533 Cardiac Activity .................................................................................................................... 534 Brain Activity ....................................................................................................................... 535 Electrodermal Activity ......................................................................................................... 536 Eye Function ........................................................................................................................ 536 Body Fluid Analysis ............................................................................................................. 536 Muscle and Movement Analysis .......................................................................................... 537
Subjective/Operator Opinion Techniques ................................................................................. 537 Single-Dimensional Scales ................................................................................................... 537 Multidimensional Scales ...................................................................................................... 538 Relative Judgements .............................................................................................................540 Instantaneous Judgements ....................................................................................................540 Comparison between Rating Scales ..................................................................................... 541 Interviews ............................................................................................................................. 542 Observations ......................................................................................................................... 542 Validity of Subjective Measures ........................................................................................... 542
Conclusions .................................................................................................................................... 543 References ......................................................................................................................................544
As jobs in the twenty-rst century continue to involve the use of an increasing range of technologies and systems, tasks are increasingly dominated by mental rather than physical task components. Modern-day cars now routinely include features such as cruise control and parking sensors that reduce the load on the driver, as well as introducing complex communication and entertainment technologies to improve the passenger’s comfort and experience. As I work on this chapter, there are seven separate electronic devices on my desk that are supporting my task, ranging from a tablet computer to a desktop clock. Similarly, many high-risk or safety-critical jobs, such as pilots, train drivers, medical personnel and process control operators, are characterised by their mental rather than physical demands.
