Performance and workload trends: The effects of repeated exposure to "high" demand tasks
archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified
Summary
Wheatley, Esplin, Loveless, Cooper, Biondi, and Strayer asked whether the N-back and SuRT remain stable workload calibrators across repeated exposure. Drawing on the larger AAA 50-vehicle/200+ participant IVIS study, they analyzed ten participants with 26-39 sessions each, sampling sessions 1, 6, 11, 16, 21, and 26 for coding. One-way repeated-measures ANOVAs showed N-back accuracy improved while NASA-TLX workload declined across sessions, but SuRT performance improved while workload remained stable, indicating that the N-back loses its high-cognitive-demand calibration over repeated use whereas the SuRT continues to elicit constant visual demand.
Key finding
Repeated exposure erodes the N-back's value as a high-cognitive-demand benchmark (workload drops as performance improves) but leaves the SuRT's visual-demand calibration intact.
Methodology
Secondary analysis from the larger AAA 50-vehicle IVIS study; ten high-exposure participants (M_age=25.4, five female) with sessions 1, 6, 11, 16, 21, 26 coded; one-way repeated-measures ANOVAs on N-back accuracy and SuRT performance plus NASA-TLX workload.
Sample size: 10
Quality score: 5 / 5