Manipulating the Conditions of Training in Time-Sharing Performance

Findings suggest that improvement on the tracking task is in the specific skill of tracking, while digit-processing improvement results from improved time-sharing ability.

Abstract

A one-dimensional compensatory tracking task and a digit-processing, reaction time task were combined to assess three aspects of training under time-sharing conditions: (1) manipulation of desired levels of dual-task performance: (2) training under equal and unequal task priorities: and (3) repeated sequencing of single/dual-task presentations. Six groups of 10 subjects each participated in the experiment. Larger performance improvements under time-sharing conditions were observed when desired performance indicators were computed relative to a dual-task rather than a single-task reference. Training under unequal task priorities revealed that tracking was more sensitive than the digit-processing task to priority differences. Tracking performance continued to improve during repeated single-task presentation, whereas digit processing improved only in the time-sharing conditions. These findings suggest that improvement on the tracking task is in the specific skill of tracking, while digit-processing improvement results from improved time-sharing ability.