Stimulus Integrality in Displays of System Input-Output Relationships: A Failure Detection Study

Abstract

The performance effect of within-format display proximity, defined by degree of dimensional integrality, was studied in a task requiring the continuous integration of information from several sources. Twenty-four subjects each monitored two dynamic systems over the course of three 2-hour sessions. Each system consisted of a single output, the value of which was determined jointly by two inputs. Two analog-visual displays—a bar graph and a triangular “object display”—were used to present the system I/O information to subjects. Use of the triangular display, that considered the more integral of the two, resulted in more rapid detection of system failures. This performance benefit was obtained over three levels of task difficulty.