Aerospace Medicine Technical Reports

FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute


Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-66/19

Title and Subtitle: Performance tasks for operator-skills research.

Report Date: June 1966

Authors: Pearson RG.

Abstract: The selection, development, and operation of several tasks for use in skilled-operator-performance research are described. The tasks are intended, collectively, to sample a broad spectrum of abilities required by complex operator systems; individually they vary to the extent with which demands are placed upon attentional, sensory input, decision, and motor processes. A tracking and monitoring task simulates some of the functions associated with pilot skill, while a radar ATC task simulates the en route controller's functions. Other tasks (auditory vigilance, problem solving, mental arithmetic, and choice reaction time) are of a more abstract nature.

Key Words: operators (personnel), performance (human), job analysis, test construction (psychology), psychological tests, tracking, man machine systems, human factors engineering.

No. of Pages: 17

Last updated: Friday, June 1, 2012