Effect of Multitasking on Simulator Sickness and Performance in 3D Aerodrome Control Training

Background. Air traffic controllers need to use their cognitive resources to cope with multiple tasks while monitoring air traffic. They are trained through advanced 3D simulators; however, they might demonstrate simulator sickness symptoms during this training. The relationship between multitasking and simulator sickness and the influence of different tasks on these variables can be investigated to inform further training practices for an efficient traffic monitoring. Purpose. The purpose of this quasi-experimental research was to explore the influence of different working positions and multitasking scenarios on simulator sickness and performance in 3D Aerodrome Control Training. Method. Thirteen undergraduate students from a civil aviation school participated in a time-series experimental design. Nausea, disorientation and oculomotor disturbances were measured before and after conducting different multitasking scenarios in an aerodrome control simulator. A 20-item simulation performance scale was also used. Performance differences and the relationship between simulator sickness and performance were addressed through parametric tests. Results. Findings revealed that tower-ground positions created higher levels of nausea. Performance scores varied in different scenarios. Simulator sickness was higher in females. Total sickness correlated negatively with performance in all scenarios. Conclusion. Certain tasks have different influences on both simulator sickness and performance. Concurrent multitasking seems to trigger simulator sickness further. The degree of simulator adaptation, test anxiety and physiological measures of the process should be considered in further research.

[1]  Adi Ronen,et al.  The adaptation period to a driving simulator , 2013 .

[2]  Johnell O Brooks,et al.  Simulator sickness during driving simulation studies. , 2010, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[3]  S. Elkins,et al.  Test anxiety. , 1989, Plastic surgical nursing : official journal of the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgical Nurses.

[4]  Young Youn Kim,et al.  Characteristic changes in the physiological components of cybersickness. , 2005, Psychophysiology.

[5]  T. Baumgartner.  Reading Statistics and Research (5th ed.) , 2008 .

[6]  Julie M. Drexler,et al.  Cybersickness is Not Simulator Sickness , 1997 .

[7]  Kay M. Stanney,et al.  What to Expect from Immersive Virtual Environment Exposure: Influences of Gender, Body Mass Index, and Past Experience , 2003, Hum. Factors.

[8]  W. Bles,et al.  Motion sickness. , 2000, Current opinion in neurology.

[9]  R. Stern.  The Psychophysiology of Nausea , 2002, Acta biologica Hungarica.

[10]  Onur Dönmez,et al.  SİBER ZORBALIK ÇALIŞMALARINDA SOSYAL BEĞENİRLİK ETMENİ , 2016 .

[11]  Moira B. Flanagan,et al.  Motion Sickness, Console Video Games, and Head-Mounted Displays , 2007, Hum. Factors.

[12]  Jatin Srivastava,et al.  Media multitasking performance: Role of message relevance and formatting cues in online environments , 2013, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[13]  Hartmut Fricke,et al.  Air traffic control complexity as workload driver , 2010 .

[14]  Clifford Nass,et al.  Cognitive control in media multitaskers , 2009, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[15]  Bobbie W. Daniels,et al.  The Effect of Multitasking on the Grade Performance of Business Students , 2010 .

[16]  Geraldine Clarebout,et al.  Mobile Learning: Can Students Really Multitask?. , 2011 .

[17]  Jerrell C. Cassady,et al.  Cognitive Test Anxiety and Academic Performance , 2002 .

[18]  Ronald R. Mourant,et al.  Comparison of Simulator Sickness Using Static and Dynamic Walking Simulators , 2001 .

[19]  Karen Blackmore,et al.  Correlating reaction time and nausea measures with traditional measures of cybersickness , 2017, Displays.

[20]  Bernhard E Riecke,et al.  Can walking motions improve visually induced rotational self-motion illusions in virtual reality? , 2015, Journal of vision.

[21]  Raquel Benbunan-Fich,et al.  Performance effects of computer-based multitasking behavior , 2012 .

[22]  Niels Taatgen,et al.  Toward a unified theory of the multitasking continuum: from concurrent performance to task switching, interruption, and resumption , 2009, CHI.

[23]  R. Solomon,et al.  An extension of control group design. , 1949, Psychological bulletin.

[24]  John R. Wilson,et al.  Virtual Reality-Induced Symptoms and Effects (VRISE) , 1999, Presence: Teleoperators & Virtual Environments.

[25]  Moira B. Flanagan,et al.  Motion Sickness and Postural Sway in Console Video Games , 2008, Hum. Factors.

[26]  Faria Sana,et al.  Laptop multitasking hinders classroom learning for both users and nearby peers , 2013, Comput. Educ..

[27]  Peter E. Doolittle,et al.  Working Memory Capacity and Mobile Multimedia Learning Environments: Individual Differences in Learning While Mobile , 2008 .

[28]  Chung-Hsing Yeh,et al.  Human performance interfaces in air traffic control. , 2010, Applied ergonomics.

[29]  Kay M. Stanney,et al.  Duration and Exposure to Virtual Environments: Sickness Curves During and Across Sessions , 2000, Presence: Teleoperators & Virtual Environments.

[30]  Harold Pashler,et al.  Does Multitasking Impair Studying? Depends on Timing , 2013 .

[31]  Michael W. Haas,et al.  Postural Instability and Motion Sickness in a Fixed-Base Flight Simulator , 2000, Hum. Factors.

[32]  Sanford L. Braver,et al.  Statistical Treatment of the Solomon Four-Group Design: A Meta-Analytic Approach , 1988 .

[33]  Roberto Colom,et al.  Intelligence, working memory, and multitasking performance , 2010 .

[34]  Larry D. Rosen,et al.  Multitasking across generations: Multitasking choices and difficulty ratings in three generations of Americans , 2009, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[35]  Geraldine Clarebout,et al.  Listening to an Educational Podcast While Walking or Jogging: Can Students Really Multitask? , 2011, Int. J. Mob. Blended Learn..

[36]  Peter A Howarth,et al.  The Menstrual Cycle and Susceptibility to Virtual Simulation Sickness , 2005, Journal of biological rhythms.

[37]  Fred Paas,et al.  Dynamic problem selection in air traffic control training: a comparison between performance, mental effort and mental efficiency , 2001, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[38]  Muhterem Dindar,et al.  Effects of multitasking on retention and topic interest , 2016 .

[39]  M L Cook,et al.  Simulator Sickness Scores According to Symptom Susceptibility, Age, and Gender for an Older Driver Assessment Study , 2006 .

[40]  Kay M. Stanney,et al.  Toward Systematic Control of Cybersickness , 2004, Presence: Teleoperators & Virtual Environments.

[41]  LingBei Xu,et al.  Impact of Simultaneous Collaborative Multitasking on Communication Performance and Experience , 2008 .

[42]  L. C. Taylor,et al.  Adaptive Changes in Sensorimotor Coordination and Motion Sickness Following Repeated Exposures to Virtual Environments , 2007 .

[43]  D. Putwain.  Deconstructing test anxiety , 2008 .

[44]  Robert S. Kennedy,et al.  Simulator Sickness Questionnaire: An enhanced method for quantifying simulator sickness. , 1993 .

[45]  Masaki Emoto,et al.  Viewing angle dependency of visually-induced motion sickness in viewing wide-field images by subjective and autonomic nervous indices , 2008, Displays.

[46]  Petra Kaufmann,et al.  Experimental And Quasi Experimental Designs For Research , 2016 .

[47]  Joost C. F. de Winter,et al.  Relationships between years of licensure and driving style measured with a short simulator-based test (N = 650) , 2017 .

[48]  Behrang Keshavarz,et al.  Validating an Efficient Method to Quantify Motion Sickness , 2011, Hum. Factors.

[49]  G. H. Crampton,et al.  Motion and Space Sickness , 1990 .

[50]  Charles B. Owen,et al.  Review on cybersickness in applications and visual displays , 2016, Virtual Reality.

[51]  David C. Novak,et al.  Examining the Affects of Student Multitasking with Laptops During the Lecture , 2010, J. Inf. Syst. Educ..

[52]  Janan Al-Awar Smither,et al.  Reducing Symptoms of Visually Induced Motion Sickness Through Perceptual Training , 2008 .

[53]  K Kroenke,et al.  Gender Differences in the Reporting of Physical and Somatoform Symptoms , 1998, Psychosomatic medicine.

[54]  Logan T. Hale,et al.  How Accurately Can an Observer Assess Participant Self-Reported Workload? , 2017 .

[55]  Jakob E. Bardram,et al.  Dedicated workspaces: Faster resumption times and reduced cognitive load in sequential multitasking , 2016, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[56]  Sarah Sharples,et al.  Virtual reality induced symptoms and effects (VRISE): Comparison of head mounted display (HMD), desktop and projection display systems , 2008, Displays.

[57]  Moira B. Flanagan,et al.  Sex differences in tolerance to visually-induced motion sickness. , 2005, Aviation, space, and environmental medicine.

[58]  John Lygeros,et al.  A simulation based study of subliminal control for air traffic management , 2010 .