The Impact of Automatic and Manual Control Tasks on Operator Stress and Fatigue

UND Columbia Hall, 1350

Sustained vigilance performance is a crucial component of several occupations involving automated systems. Automation shifts the role of the human operator from active control to system monitoring. The purpose of this study was to examine stress changes in participants who engaged in automated and manual control tasks. Participants (N = 83) completed a self-report measure of task-induced stress, which measured the constructs of worry, distress, and task engagement, as well as a measure of fatigue before and after performing a flight simulation task either with or without automated features. Results indicated increases of fatigue, distress, and a decrease of engagement from pre to post-task across conditions. Moreover, engagement tended to be lower and distress tended to be higher for participants using automation compared to manual control. These results support the findings of previous literature, such that contrary to popular belief, automated tasks requiring vigilance are stressful and fatiguing.