Publication
Task pre-loading: designing adaptive systems to counteract mental underload
The concept of ‘pre-loading’ is introduced as a potential means of countering mental underload by giving the operator an additional, task-related activity during times of low workload to maintain their attention. A driving simulator study was conducted to evaluate this concept with a view to designing adaptive systems around a preloading activity. 27 participants drove in a simulator under low and normal workload conditions, with and without pre-loading. Although none of the objective performance metrics showed significant differences, pre-loading did significantly increase subjective mental workload. The results are interpreted with respect to implications for underload theories as well as experimental design recommendations for future research in this field.