Individual Differences in the Experience of Cognitive Workload

Authors

Stephen J. Guastello, Marquette UniversityFollow
Anton Shircel, Marquette UniversityFollow
Matthew Malon, Marquette UniversityFollow
Paul Timm, Marquette UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Language

eng

Format of Original

33 p.

Publication Date

2015

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Source Publication

Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science

Source ISSN

1463-922X

Abstract

This study investigated the roles of four psychosocial variables – anxiety, conscientiousness, emotional intelligence, and Protestant work ethic – on subjective ratings of cognitive workload as measured by the Task Load Index (TLX) and the further connections between the four variables and TLX ratings of task performance. The four variables represented aspects of an underlying construct of elasticity versus rigidity in response to workload. Participants were 141 undergraduates who performed a vigilance task under different speeded conditions while working on a jigsaw puzzle for 90 minutes. Regression analysis showed that anxiety and emotional intelligence were the two variables most proximally related to TLX ratings. TLX ratings contributed to the prediction of performance on the puzzle, but not the vigilance task. Severity error bias was evident in some of the ratings. Although working in pairs improved performance, it also resulted in higher ratings of temporal demand and perceived performance pressure.

Comments

Accepted version. Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science, Vol. 16, No. 1 (2015): 20-52. DOI. © 2015 Informa UK Limited. Used with permission.

Recommended Citation

Guastello, Stephen J.; Shircel, Anton; Malon, Matthew; and Timm, Paul, "Individual Differences in the Experience of Cognitive Workload" (2015). Psychology Faculty Research and Publications. 217.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/psych_fac/217