Exam 2 Flashcards
What does an HTA involve?
breaking down task into hierarchy of goals, operations, and plans (hierarchical task analysis)
Define HTA goal
the unobservable task goals associated with the task in question
Define HTA operations
observable behaviors or activities
Define HTA plan
unobservable decisions and planning
What are the 4 steps of creating an HTA
- Determine overall goal ex. boil kettle
- Sub-goals - break it down
- sub-goal decomposition - further sub-goals and operations
- Plans analysis - how the goals are achieved
What are operations?
Actions made by the operator
What are some advantages of using HTA?
starting point easy quick used extensively can depict everything that needs to be done
What are some disadvantages of using HTA?
little info can be used directly for design solutions
doesn’t cater to cognitive components of task
Time consuming
Analysts need to be well trained
No ideal software
What is a CTA?
Cognitive task analysis
Breaks down into steps of cognitive abilities required during each step
Perceptual and/or motor abilities as well
How is information collected during a CTA?
in-depth interviews
What are some advantages to CTA?
deals with cognitive aspect HTA doesn’t take care of
aids experts in articulating knowledge that is difficult to verbalize
What are two requirements of CTA?
- understanding of cognition
2. expert-level understanding of task (think-aloud protocol helpful)
What is the purpose of a secondary task?
Provide a profile of the resources used during the primary task
ex. reaction time, mental arithmetic
What is a downside to a secondary task and how can you avoid it?
artificiality - lack of external validity
ex. mental arithmetic while driving
Can use embedded secondary task - natural
ex. listening to the radio while driving a car
What is another method of gathering data other than behavior?
psychophysiological measures
What is a benefit of psychophysiological measures?
can provide online measurement, doesn’t require secondary task
What is a negative of psychophysiological measures?
equipment may interfere with primary task
What are the three psychophysiological measures used?
pupilometry - larger the pupil, greater the workload
heart rate - increased hr=increased mental workload
Brain activity - fMRI; may interrupt performance, expensive
What evaluates workload by obtaining users’ judgments about their tasks?
subjective assessment techniques - ask users to rate overall mental workload
What are the limitations of subjective workload measures?
- may not be sensitive to aspects of task environment - best to couple with primary task measure
- user may confuse difficulty with effort
- Many factors unconscious
What are the two types of subjective workload measures?
- NASA task load index
2. workload profile
What is the NASA task load index?
6 scales for users to rate workload (mean)
- mental demand
- physical demand
- temporal demand
- performance
- effort
- frustration level
What are the advantages of using NASA TLX
quick to use
easy to understand
What are disadvantages of using NASA TLX
doesn’t map very closely to existing models of how we process things
What is the workload profile?
based on Wickens’ multiple resource theory
several distinct cognitive subsystems
each subsystem has limited resources
What dimensions does the workload profile examine?
input modality (visual/auditory) processing code (spatial or verbal) processing stage (encoding and central processing or responding) output modality (manual output or speech)
What are advantages of workload profile?
based on sound theory (multiple resource theory)
Gives specifics about dimensions
What are the two main issues with subjective measurement and their interpretation?
- sensitive to only the range of conditions - only have info of the tasks they’ve done so far, not as accurate ratings as an expert
- subjective estimates