Deck 11: Mental Workload and Stress

Question 1

Neuroergonomics involves the use of theories and findings from _______ to address issues in human factors and ergonomics:

A) engineering
B) psychology
C) neuroscience
D) sociology

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT one of the three general classes that neuroergonomic techniques fall into?

A) hemodynamic
B) automatic
C) autonomic
D) electrophysiological

Answer 2

B

Question 3

A system designer who wants to know whether a human operator can handle any additional tasks beyond those being currently performed is interested in measuring the operator's:

A) intelligence
B) motivation
C) personality
D) mental workload

Answer 3

D

Question 4

A person is said to have "reserve capacity" when the resources demanded by a task _______ the maximum resources the person can supply to perform the task.

A) exceed
B) do not exceed
C) are the same as
D) are half as much as

Question 5

The resource demands of a single task can be intensified by increasing:

A) working memory load
B) relational complexity
C) tracking bandwidth
D) any of these

Question 6

Time line analysis computes mental workload as the _______ of time required (TR) and time available (TA) to perform a task.

A) ratio
B) sum
C) product
D) difference

Question 7

An example of the secondary task method of assessing mental workload and reserve capacity is:

A) responding to an unexpected probe stimulus
B) time estimation
C) doing mental arithmetic
D) any of these

Question 8

In order to avoid the problem of disruption of primary task performance when using the secondary task method of workload measurement, investigators have used:

A) embedded secondary tasks
B) automatic processing secondary tasks
C) secondary tasks in a different sensory modality
D) any of these

Question 9

Measuring whether and how quickly an air traffic controller makes a check mark on the "flight strip" of an aircraft is an example of a(n):

A) working memory task
B) problem solving task
C) embedded secondary task
D) none of these

Question 10

The NASA Task Load Index (NASA TLX) is an example of a _______ method of mental workload assessment.

A) physiological
B) subjective
C) secondary task
D) none of these

Question 11

The view that mental work is reflected in changes in cerebral blood flow was first put forward by:

A) Sherrington
B) Wickens
C) Posner
D) Parasuraman

Question 12

High levels of mental workload are associated with _______ activity in the EEG.

A) reduced theta
B) reduced beta
C) increased theta
D) increased alpha

Question 13

Event-related potentials (ERPs) are obtained by _______ the activity in different epochs in the EEG.

A) summing
B) averaging
C) multiplying
D) subtracting

Question 14

The P300 component of the ERP to a secondary task is thought to be sensitive to changes in the demands of _______ of the primary task.

A) perceptual processing and stimulus categorization
B) response selection
C) motor control
D) all of these

Question 15

Transcranial Doppler Sonography (TCD) and near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) provide measures of:

A) brain electrical activity
B) brain magnetic activity
C) cerebral blood and oxygenation
D) all of these

Question 16

The _______ measure of eye movements provides an index of the processing resources required for information extraction from a single source.

A) dwell time
B) saccade latency
C) nearest neighbor
D) speed

Question 17

Which of the following is, at a most general level, a type of adaptation concerning workload?

A) People may allow performance of tasks to degrade
B) People may perform the tasks in a more efficient, less resource consuming way.
C) People may shed tasks altogether, in an "optimal" fashion
D) People may shed tasks in a non-optimal fashion
E) all the above

Question 18

In considering the relationship between subjective and objective measures of mental workload, Yeh and Wickens (1988) proposed that subjective measures reflect.

A) effort
B) the number of tasks to be performed
C) both A and B
D) neither A nor B

Question 19

Stress typically has _______ effects on human performance.

A) direct
B) indirect
C) both direct and indirect
D) no

Question 20

The effects of stress on human performance have been explained on the basis of _______ theory.

A) arousal
B) multiple resource
C) signal detection
D) all of these

Question 21

The inverted-U relationship between performance and arousal is known as:

A) Fitts Law
B) Fitts List
C) Power law
D) Yerkes Dodson Law

Question 22

The Yerkes Dodson Law postulates that as a task becomes more complex, the optimal level of arousal for the task:

A) shifts higher
B) shifts lower
C) remains unchanged
D) doubles

Question 23

The _______ theory of the effects of stress on human performance emphasizes the interaction between the person and the person's appraisal of the stressful stimulus.

A) Yerkes Dodson
B) multiple resource
C) arousal
D) transactional

Question 24

An example of the effects of stress on components on information processing is:

A) narrowing of selective attention
B) reduced working memory
C) perseveration
D) all of these

Question 25

Studies of the effects of stress on simultaneous performance of central and peripheral detection tasks have found that peripheral detection is negatively affected while central detection is unaffected. This phenomenon is known as:

A) working memory loss
B) attentional narrowing
C) task shedding
D) perseveration

Question 26

Maule and Hockey proposed that people used strategic control when exposed to stressors. An example of such strategies is:

A) recruiting more resources
B) remove the stressor
C) change task goals
D) all of these

Question 27

Remediating the negative effects of stress on performance should focus on:

A) design changes
B) training
C) both design and training
D) neither design nor training

Question 28

In changing work procedures that could be affected by stress, particular emphasis should be given to:

A) emergency procedures
B) routine procedures
C) shut down procedures
D) all of these

Question 29

The remediation approach to stress that involves explanation of anticipated stress effects, teaching of stress coping strategies, and actual experience of stressors on performance, is known as:

A) stress inoculation
B) strategic control
C) arousal theory
D) transactional theory

Question 30

Which of the following major categories of adaptive response concerning strategic control is described bellow? The response is simply to "try harder," or mobilize more resources in the face of the stressor.

A) recruitment of resources
B) remove the stressor
C) change the goals of the task
D) do nothing

Question 31

Which of the following major categories of adaptive response concerning strategic control is described bellow? The human may sometimes adapt successfully by simply trying to eliminate the source of stress.

A) recruitment of resources
B) remove the stressor
C) change the goals of the task
D) do nothing

Question 32

Which of the following is NOT one of the four categories of workload measurement tools?

A) primary tasks
B) behavioral measures
C) subjective measures
D) physiological measures

Question 33

Which of the four categories of workload measurement tools have the greatest fidelity?

A) behavioral measures
B) primary tasks
C) secondary tasks
D) physiological measures

Question 34

Researchers have recognized the importance of _____(Raby & Wickens, 1994) which are in fact natural components of the total task scenario, but typically of the lower level of priority characteristic of a secondary task.

A) relative predictions
B) embedded secondary task
C) offline measures
D) online measures

Question 35

_____ are assessed during system evaluation, and designers can take the results of this assessment, diagnose a workload deficiency, and proceed to invoke some remedy.

A) online measures
B) offline measures
C) embedded secondary task
D) relative predictions

Question 36

_____ of workload are assessed while the operator is performing the task outside the laboratory in the operational environment and can be used in adaptive automation to reduce the demands

A) online measures
B) offline measures
C) embedded secondary task
D) relative predictions

Question 37

Concerning the effects of stress, which of the following is an external influence on human performance (external stressor)?

A) vibration
B) noise
C) time stress
D) all of the above

Question 38

There is evidence that high levels of stress will cause people to ????____ with a given action or plan of action that they have used in the past (Zakay, 1993).

A) change
B) perseverate
C) switch-up
D) go back

Question 39

Which of the following is NOT a cause of indirect negative effects concerning technostress?

A) increasing number of interruptions
B) increases in overall stress due to the content of these social media messages (often negative)
C) the constant interruptions leading to feelings of time pressure
D) the extensive use of these technologies leading to lower sleep quality or quantity

Question 40

Programs of ______ training have been designed to introduce humans to the consequences of stress on their performance (Finseth et al., 2018; Johnston & Cannon-Bowers, 1996; Keinan & Friedland, 1996; Meichenbaum, 1985, 1993).

A) emergency
B) stress exposure
C) extensive
D) stress inoculation
E) b and d

Question 41

Briefly describe the concept of "reserve capacity" in the context of mental workload.

Question 42

Briefly describe the time-line analysis methods for the assessment of mental workload.

Question 43

List three categories of measures for the assessment of mental workload. Briefly describe the main characteristics of any one of these categories.

Question 44

Briefly describe how EEG can be used for the measurement of mental workload.

Question 45

Briefly describe how ERPs can be used for the measurement of mental workload.

Question 46

Briefly describe the main tenets of the arousal theory of stress effects.

Question 47

What is the Yerkes-Dodson Law? Outline its main features.

Question 48

List five components of the effects of stress on human performance. Briefly describe the main features of any one of these components.

Question 49

Briefly describe how developing models that will accurately predict stress effects can be challenging.

Question 50

Briefly describe, in general, the three manifestations that stressors have in people.

Question 51

Compare and contrast, outlining advantages and disadvantages of each, three methods for the assessment of mental workload.

Question 52

Discuss examples of the use of neuroergonomic measures for the assessment of mental workload. Illustrate your answer by discussing their use in a specific work domain.

Question 53

Compare and contrast the arousal theory and the transactional theory of the effects of stress on human performance.

Question 54

Describe the different methods that can be used in stress remediation. Discuss the main features, advantages, and challenges of any one of these methods.

Question 55

Give an example of neuroergonomic techniques in each of the three classes.