Demonstration of a Statistical Method for Isolating Timesharing Components

Abstract : An objective statistical method for isolating timesharing components of performance is described and demonstrated. During the first stage of this method, partial correlation analysis is used to remove the variance attributable to the single-task measures. During the second stage, the resulting dual-task partial correlations are subjected to a form of factor analysis. Data from both Sverko (1977) and Wickens, Mountford, and Schreiner (1981) were reanalyzed and the results compared with their earlier analyses, as well as with the reanalysis of the latter study by Ackerman, Schneider and Wickens (1984). The characterization of timesharing factors and the question of a general timesharing factor are also discussed. Using the proposed method, substantial evidence for multiple timesharing components was found. Keywords: Human factors engineering. (Author)