Determinants of Performance Improvement in Training under Time-Sharing Conditions

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 performance levels for dual-task performance comparing performance under single-task demands vs. adjustment to dual-task demands; (2) training under equal and unequal task priorities in time-sharings; (3) reveated sequence of single-dual task presentations. Six groups of 10 subjects participated in the experiment. Larger performance improvements under time–sharing conditions were observed when performance demands were based on dual–task performances than on single-task performances. Training under unequal task priorities revealed that tracking was more sensitive to priority differences than the digit-processing task. Whereas tracking performances improved during single-task training, digit-processing improved only in the time-sharing conditions, suggesting that improvement on the tracking task is in the specific skill of tracking, while digit-processing improvement results from improved time-sharing ability.