ABSTRACT
High mental workload and stress encountered in work settings are the focus of this chapter. Attention is the core cognitive ability that allows human operators to meet these challenges. In previous chapters of this book we have discussed different aspects of human attention, first with respect to display design and then in relation to multitasking. In this chapter, we continue our examination of applied aspects of attention by describing its role in mental workload. This chapter provides an overview of the measurement and evaluation of mental workload. This chapter also reviews the dominant theoretical approaches to the study of stress and methods for stress mitigation in the workplace. This chapter addresses a critical limitation of human performance when high levels of stress are imposed, with particular emphasis on the stress of high task demand or mental workload.
