Display Size Contamination of Attentional and Spatial Tasks: An Evaluation of Display Minification and Axis Compression
Muthard, Emily
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Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/82095
Description
Title
Display Size Contamination of Attentional and Spatial Tasks: An Evaluation of Display Minification and Axis Compression
Author(s)
Muthard, Emily
Issue Date
2005
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Wickens, Christopher D.
Department of Study
Psychology
Discipline
Psychology
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Psychology, Cognitive
Language
eng
Abstract
Four experiments were conducted to evaluate the influence of display size on attentional and spatial tasks. In Experiments 1 and 2, display size was manipulated by enlarging the physical size of a 2D integrated hazard display. Pilots monitored the airspace for changes in the trajectory or altitude of hazards. In both experiments, pilots consistently adjusted scanning patterns to account for display enlargements. While change detection performance was worsened for events occurring near the display periphery, this effect was not amplified when the display was enlarged. For experiment 2, clutter reduced detection performance in the smallest display, where display density was amplified because of the minification. In Experiment 3, pilots were asked to complete a tracking task with a simplified flight display. Display size was manipulated by changing the physical size of a 2D display and through axis compression in a 3D display. In both cases, pilots exhibited higher tracking error and lowered control activity when display size was reduced, and this effect was amplified for axis compression. The effect resulted both from the lowered resolution of the smaller display, which provided less information about small deviations than its larger counterpart, and from reduced urgency, as pilots perceived the smaller displayed errors as less severe. Finally, in Experiment 4, pilots were asked to select one of two flight paths that traversed through a hazardous airspace, as well as rate the safety of the flight paths. The size of the integrated hazard display was again manipulated by reducing the physical size of the 2D display or through axis compression of the 3D display. Results indicated that pilots were more likely to overestimate the span between their own aircraft and environmental hazards when this distance was portrayed on a large display, regardless of the means through which size was manipulated. When display size was manipulated through axis compression, this overestimation translated into an unsafe route choice. Analyses suggest that display enlargement can be made without imposing detrimental effort costs to attentional tasks, but spatial estimates become biased by display scale and influence resultant flight control and route selection tasks.
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