Individual Differences in Perceived Importance of SWAT Workload Dimensions: Effects on Judgment and Performance in a Virtual High Workload Environment

Abstract

The Subjective Workload Assessment Technique (SWAT) is a numerical conjoint scaling procedure that is often used to construct estimates of overall perceived workload and the importance of component dimensions of time, effort, and stress load demands in evaluating workload. In this study initial SWAT scales were first constructed for 124 individuals who were then classified into one of six “workload prototype” groups based on a cluster analysis of their derived SWAT dimension weights. Individuals were then placed into three different virtual environment scenarios for which the task had either a high time, high mental effort, or high stress load component, respectively. Workload judgments and performance scores were obtained for each scenario. Results indicated that how individuals weighted the SWAT dimensions influenced both their judged workload for the scenarios and their performance measures in each scenario.