Within the ADAM-project an experiment was conducted to validate the occlusion procedure and the peripheral detection task (PDT). The occlusion technique is based on systematic control of the time intervals permitted for a person to look at a scene. The period during with the relevant piece of information is visible (viewing or presentation time) and the period during which it is not visible (occlusion time) are the two essential parameters. In PDT signals are displayed on a screen in front of the participants for a short period of time (like 2 sec). 24 participants solved a set of 12 tasks under occlusion conditions as well as with PDT as a secondary task. For the occlusion technique the total inspection time and for PDT latencies and hit rates in identifying signals were used as main dependent measures. The results were compared to eye-movement data from a simulator study where the same set of tasks was used. It could be shown that occlusion as well as PDT can be used as methods for assessing visual demand of a task. (Author/publisher)
Abstract