AN EFFICIENT TEST OF MULTITASKING ABILITY

"Although there are clear individual differences in the ability to perform well in stressful, rapidly-changing multitasking environments such as those found in military command and control operations and in civilian aviation, current standardized tests areinadequate for confidently predicting who will excel in such critical jobs. We thus propose to develop and validate a computerized test to assess multitasking ability under speeded conditions. This project will leverage our experience with measuringindividual differences in intelligence, working memory, and multitasking ability, and combine it with the efforts of others who have focused on the development of an abstract test of multitasking ability suitable for personnel selection. In Phase I we willprogram a Multitasking Test (MTT) that manipulates time pressure and event occurrence density, factors that are crucial determinants of successful decision making in complex dynamic situations. We will also collect data to begin to evaluate the MTT'slearning curve, its retest reliability, and the cognitive load it imposes as a function of varying task difficulty. In Phase II a large formal study will be conducted to establish the sensitivity of the MTT to individual differences in multitaskingability and to evaluate its relationship to general intelligence and working memory ability. There is an important societal need for better tools for selecting personnel capable of performing wel