The Effect of Task Load and Shared Displays on Team Situation Awareness

Abstract

In this study, we empirically tested the effects of two types of shared displays and varying workload levels on the formation of team situation awareness (SA). Results support the use of certain types of shared displays for enhancing team performance. The way in which people use shared displays is actually quite complex and related to the workload level. The use of an abstracted shared display was found to be beneficial for enhancing team performance/while the use of shared displays that completely duplicated the other team members displays were found to be detrimental. Under low workload levels, no performance enhancements or problems were found associated with either shared display type. In high and moderate workload conditions, the significant benefits of the abstracted shared display were most apparent. Changes in team interaction style were found to accompany the use of the different types of shared displays. This study supports a model of Team SA and expands on previous research on shared displays.