The psychological refractory period effect in an intelligent mine monitoring task

In intelligent mining monitoring operations, operators are often required to perform multiple tasks, either simultaneously or sequentially, within a short time frame. However, the limits of individuals' cognitive resources may lead to delayed responses on the second and subsequent tasks, also known as the psychological refractory period (PRP) effect. This study investigates the impacts of stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA), spatial presentation layout, and task load on the PRP effect in a simulated intelligent mining monitoring task. Across three experiments, a clear PRP effect was consistently observed in the secondary task (T2), with reaction times decreasing as SOA increased. Although the spatial presentation layout of the tasks did not directly alter the PRP effect for T2, it did significantly affect reaction times for both tasks, with faster responses observed when tasks were presented in the right visual hemifield. In addition, manipulating cognitive load revealed that high load conditions for T1 led to a noticeable PRP effect on T2, while both high and low load conditions for T2 similarly produced the PRP effect on T2. These findings underscore the necessity of applying ergonomic principles to the design of monitoring systems, specifically for optimizing task layout and managing task load to reduce cognitive bottlenecks in high-demand environments like intelligent mining.