The Moderator Effects of Taskload on the Interplay Between En Route Intra-Sector Team Communications, Situation Awareness, and Mental Workload

Recently, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began a program of research to investigate the role that intra-team communication plays in helping radar air traffic control teams coordinate their individual efforts. Based on the literature of controller and pilot communications, it was hypothesized that as taskload increased, communications would increase in order to maintain situational awareness. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that there would be an inverse relationship between taskload and situational awareness. METHOD. Using a high-fidelity air traffic control (ATC) simulator, ten 2-person teams, consisting of certified ATC specialists, performed routine ATC tasks within a single factor (low and high workload) repeated measure design. Performance was videotaped and the frequency of intra-team communications was counted. Post scenario perceptions of taskload and situational awareness were assessed using a version of the NASA Taskload Index (TLX) and a 4-item scale developed at the William J. Hughes Technical Center, respectively. RESULTS. Bivariate correlations of intra-team communications (c), taskload (t) and situational awareness (s) were separately analyzed for low and high workload. Because the sign of the correlations were established a priori, a one tailed test of significance was used with p < .10 as a test of significance. Results for the low workload condition were r sub c,t = -.14 (ns), r sub c,s = .38 (ns), and r sub t,s = -.62**. Correlations for the high workload conditions were r sub c,t = .51*, r sub c,s = .63*, r sub t,s = -.30 (ns). CONCLUSIONS. Under high workload conditions, as perceptions of taskload increased, there was a corresponding increase in the frequency of intra-team communications. The data suggest that the increase in communications is used to maintain situational awareness. This conclusion supports the a priori hypotheses. However, under low workload conditions, the data fail to support the hypotheses, with the exception that perceptions of situational awareness decreased as taskload increased.

• Record URL:
  • http://www.faa.gov/data_research/research/med_humanfacs/oamtechreports/2000s/media/0218.pdf
• 
• Record URL:
  • https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/57934
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This report was performed under Task HRR518.
• Corporate Authors:

  Federal Aviation Administration

  Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, P.O. Box 25082
  Oklahoma City, OK  United States  73125

  Federal Aviation Administration

  William J. Hughes Technical Center, Airport Technology Research and Development Branch
  Atlantic City International Airport
  Atlantic City, NJ  United States  08405

  Federal Aviation Administration

  Office of Aerospace Medicine, 800 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20591
• Authors:
  • Bailey, Larry L
  • Willems, Ben F
• Publication Date: 2002-10

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 19p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air pilots; Air traffic control; Awareness; Communication; Cooperation; Literature reviews; Personnel performance; Workload
• Uncontrolled Terms: Mental workload
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01039130
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: DOT/FAA/AM-02/18
• Files: NTL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jan 3 2007 10:26AM