Suvremena psihologija, Vol. 6 No. 2, 2003.
Pregledni rad
Searching for a time-sharing ability: 25 years of examining individual differences in concurrent-task performance
Željko Jerneić
Sažetak
The study examines the factor structure of performance measures in concurrently and singly presented tasks. The research on structure of performances was initiated under the hypothesis that the efficiency in concurrent-task condition is determined not only by the abilities relevant for the performance of the component, singly presented tasks, but also by an independent time-sharing ability. This ability was presumed to be general in nature and enable some individuals to act more successfully than others in conditions of high information load, requiring simultaneous performance of several activities. In the last 25 years a number of studies dealt with the identification of the hypothetical ability, and those conducted in Croatia took a noticeable position in the area. The paper focuses principally on these studies, and their main findings are considered within the context of research outcomes reached by other investigators. The findings of different studies converge on the conclusion that there is no general time-sharing ability. Several group time-sharing factors were instead repeatedly established in different studies. Their emergence suggests that the time-sharing performance may reveal some reliable individual differences that are not evident when the same tasks are performed separately. Although the nature of the factors obtained is not yet completely clear, important determinants of the individual differences seem to be the speed of information processing, and a choice of appropriate time-sharing strategy.
Ključne riječi
Time-sharing ability; divided attention; individual differences; concurrent tasks
Hrčak ID:
3238
URI
Datum izdavanja:
15.12.2003.
Posjeta: 783 *