Kenneth R. Boff

Saccadic overhead : information-processing time with and without saccades

Information-processing time was compared for serial and spatially distributed visual presentations with performance measures that permit the separation of total time into its during-display and post-display components. For all subjects, there was a significant saccadic overhead, that is, less time was required with the serial format, which allowed data access without eye movements. However, the magnitude of the overhead decreased as task complexity increased. All subjects were able to exercise some control over the distribution of total processing time, trading off short during-display times with longer post-display times and vice versa.

Information transfer rate with serial and simultaneous visual display formats

Information communication rate for a conventional display with three spatially separated windows was compared with rate for a serial display in which data frames were presented sequentially in one window. For both methods, each frame contained a randomly selected digit with various amounts of additional display “clutter.” Subjects recalled the digits in a prescribed order. Large rate differences were found, with faster serial communication for all levels of the clutter factors. However, the rate difference was most pronounced for highly cluttered displays. An explanation for the latter effect in terms of visual masking in the retinal periphery was supported by the results of a second experiment. The working hypothesis that serial displays can speed information transfer for automatic but not for controlled processing is discussed.

Value‐centered R&D organizations: Ten principles for characterizing, assessing, and managing value

The management of R&D organizations has received considerable attention in terms of the nature of the flow from research to development to deployed technology, as well as planning and managing this flow. R&D strategies, innovation funnels, and multistage decision processes, to name just a few constructs, have been articulated and elaborated. This article builds on this foundation to consider the nature of the value created by this process. An options-based approach is advocated for economic valuation of the products of R&D. Adoption and implementation of this approach is outlined in terms of ten principles for characterizing, assessing, and managing value.

Eye-Controlled Switching for Crew Station Design

Integration of eye and head position monitoring devices may enable practical control of systems using the operators eye line-of-sight (LOS) under conditions of free head and eye movement. This paper describes the components of an eye-control system developed to examine the use of eye LOS as an alternate control interface for crew station design. The implications of the performance of this system to the implementation of eye-controlled switching are discussed.

Making Behavioral Data Useful for System Design Applications: Development of the Engineering Data Compendium

In spite of the critical need to match the capabilities of complex human-interfaced systems to the capabilities and limitations of the human operator, relevant research findings on human perception and performance are seldom given systematic consideration in the design of control and display systems. A major reason is that the costs and risks associated with accessing, interpreting, and applying these data are unacceptably high to designers already overburdened with technical information. To help reduce these costs, the Integrated Perceptual Information for Designers (IPID) program has developed: (1) a procedure for compiling and integrating widely scattered human performance research data with potential application in system design; and (2) a format for presenting these data so they can be used directly by practitioners to support design decisions and trade-offs. This data consolidation procedure and presentation format have been used to produce a full-scale demonstration data resource, the Engineering Data Compendium, that integrates information from over 75 subareas of human perception and performance into a 4-volume reference work for designers.

Computer-Aided Human Factors for Systems Designers

Over the past decade, a multi-phased project supported by agencies of the Department of Defense, FAA, and NATO has been underway to understand and remediate problems in the transitioning of ergonomic research to system design applications. Efforts to enhance the usability of ergonomic data in system design have resulted in the present R&D project, which is concerned with developing a multi-media ergonomics database on CD-ROM. The Computer Aided Systems Human Engineering (CASHE) system, Version 1.0, will contain the Boff and Lincoln (1988) Engineering Data Compendium, MIL-STD-1472D and the Perception & Performance Prototyper. The Perception & Performance Prototyper will allow the user to experience and manipulate the technical data found in the Compendium and MIL-STD-1472D. The CASHE tool will also include specialized data retrieval, scaling, and analysis capabilities as well as state-of-the-art in information retrieval, browsing, and navigation.

Rapid Communication Display Technology Efficiency in a Multi-Task Environment

The present study examined the advantage of Rapid Communication (RAP-COM) Display Technology over conventional spatially arrayed displays in the context of secondary task demands. This research represents an early step in assessing the use of RAP-COM display techniques in multi-task environments. Eight subjects were instructed to respond to briefly presented visual stimuli, while concurrently performing an unstable tracking task at two levels of difficulty. Duration thresholds, obtained using a moment-to-moment adaptive tracking performance procedure, were collected for RAP-COM and spatially arrayed displays while RMS error scores were collected from the unstable tracking task performance. Information transfer rates for the RAP-COM technique were faster than for the spatially distributed array under both the single and dual task conditions. Regardless of secondary tracking task difficulty, subjects were able to maintain primary task performance levels on RAP-COM and spatial display tasks, although a decrement in tracking performance was seen.

Raising Control/Display Efficiency with Rapid Communication Display Technology

Basic research related to the development of a new visual display technology is described. Essentially, this technology enables the serial presentation of independent frames of visual information via a single display window. Experiment 1 compared the serial display with a conventional display consisting of three spatially separated windows which subjects accessed by making saccadic eye movements. The performance measure was time per frame of information for 90% correct responding, called the duration threshold. Large time differences were found, with faster information communication for the serial display in all subjects. Experiment 2 measured the duration threshold in a serial display as a function of the number of sequentially presented frames, which varied between one and twelve. Word search and word recognition tasks were studied. The results showed an approximately linear increase in threshold with number of frames for both tasks.

Effectiveness of Coding Schemes in Rapid Communication Displays

An important issue in implementing Rapid Communication (RAPCOM) display technology is the manner in which information is coded within a given display sequence. This study compared performance on a search task for four single coding strategies as well as four redundant code combinations at five presentation rates. Results indicated significant differences in accuracy and reaction time for task performance using single and redundant codes at various frame durations. These findings helped to identify several potential coding formats that can be utilized in real-world settings.

An Adaptive (Tracking) Procedure for Measuring Visual Search

PEST, an adaptive (tracking) procedure originally developed for sensory research, was modified for cognitive studies with the multiple sequential frames paradigm and a letter-search task. The program which controlled stimulus presentation was designed to track the frame duration required for successful search on 75% of trials (the duration threshold). For each of the three subjects used, the threshold increased as a linear function of the number of sequentially presented frames, which varied between 1 and 10. Each tracking run was immediately followed by 40 trials with frame-exposure time fixed at the computer-selected threshold. Performance on these fixed level trials was close to the expected 75% correct. The Discussion addresses issues related to the use of the threshold measure in basic and applied cognitive research, explores the present findings about performance on fixed level trials at the computer-selected threshold, and examines the increase in duration threshold with the number of sequentially presented frames.