Proximity Compatibility and the Object Display

Abstract

Object displays have been proposed as an efficient, economical means for presenting multiple sources of information that must be integrated. In this paper, we outline the fundamental theoretical and applied principles that have been cited to justify object display advantages, and suggest some modifications to those principles. In particular, we describe the compatibility of proximity principle which asserts that object displays will facilitate information integration, but disrupt focused attention on the individual dimensions of the object. We then discriminate between homogeneous and heterogeneous feature objects, suggesting that only the former will produce emergent features that can facilitate information integration. Finally, we describe an experiment in which the object display is designed to incorporate an emergent feature that will support the perception of aircraft stall conditions. Evaluation of the display reveals superior integration performance to a separate bar graph display, but degraded focused attention performance, thus illustrating the principle of proximity of compatibility.