Applied Performance Research Lab
The Applied Performance Research Lab focuses on how human performance is helped or hindered by the design of tools that help us accomplish everyday tasks. Our current research falls into four categories: the influence of multitasking and interruptions on performance, the design and use of educational software to aid in training, using immersive virtual environments for training, and using brain stimulation techniques to affect performance and identify brain regions of interest while completing multiple tasks. In the past, we have been involved in work on performance in the medical domain, aviation, cognitive workload, highway transportation, and software comprehension.
Interruptions and Human Performance
Following its colloquial meaning, an interruption can be defined as the suspension of one stream of work prior to completion, with the intent of returning to and completing the original stream of work. Most commonly, the original task is suspended to accomplish another task. The intent to return and complete the interrupted task is key to understanding how the cognitive demands of interruptions distinguish it from simply switching from one task to another. Our research on interruptions focuses on different aspects of interruption. First, we are concerned with understanding the features that make interruptions disruptive to primary task performance at a basic level. Second, we are interested in understanding the basic processes that allow people to resume the original task. With this knowledge, we hope to be able to make recommendations for procedures, displays, etc. that can minimize the disruptive effects of interruptions. We have examined interruptions in the laboratory, office settings, cockpits, and hospitals. Our current research is interested in measuring the disruptive nature of interruptions on quality of work.
Immersive Virtual Environment Training
Immersive virtual environment devices such as the Oculus Rift are becoming more popular and accessible. For example, NASA is already using such devices to create virtual tours of Mars. Although research in this area is limited as the techonology is so young, there is promise that using virtual devices can aid in training and performance. We hope to use these devices to measure performance in simulated real-world environments where individuals become highly immersed and engaged. Moreover, we would like to determine the potential for transfer of training from task to task and from the virtual world to the real world.
Educational Software
A recent push to use educational software and "serious" games to train and teach individuals has led to the development of new tools and devices that can improve cognitive function. We use commericially available games such as Portal 2 to test problem-solving ability and other cognitive attributes. Additionally, we use privately designed software to train participants and measure their proficiency in recognizing and mitigating the cognitive biases that commonly affect all types of intelligence analysis.
Brain Stimulation
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and trancranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) are two brain stimulation tools that we can use to faciliate or attenuate performance in many domains and tasks. Additionally, we can use these tools to identify regions of the brains associated with certain tasks. We use these tools for both methods, attempting to identify what areas of the brain are helped or hindered with stimulation while interrupted.