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Exploring the Peak-End Effects in Air Traffic Controllers' Mental Workload Ratings
Han Qiao1,2, Jingyu Zhang1,2, Liang Zhang1,2
112381 Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Human Factors
|March 4, 2021
Summary
Professional air traffic controllers (ATCos) experience peak-end effects in mental workload evaluation. While ATCos recognized peak workload effects, they lacked meta-cognitive awareness of end effects in their subjective ratings.
Area of Science:
- Human Factors
- Cognitive Psychology
- Occupational Health
Background:
- The peak-end rule suggests experience evaluations are influenced by peak and end moments.
- This rule's applicability to professional operators' mental workload assessments remains unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate peak-end effects in air traffic controllers' (ATCos) reported and predicted mental workload.
- To determine if ATCos possess meta-cognitive awareness of these effects.
Main Methods:
- Study 1: 20 ATCos performed simulated air traffic control tasks, reporting mental workload post-task using a 2x2 design (peak/end intensity).
- Study 2: 43 ATCos predicted mental workload for the same scenarios.
Main Results:
- ATCos reported higher mental workload for high-peak and high-end scenarios in Study 1.
- In Study 2, ATCos predicted peak effects but not end effects.
Conclusions:
- Subjective mental workload evaluations are influenced by peak and end effects.
- Expert ATCos demonstrate meta-cognitive awareness of peak effects but not end effects.
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