The effects of dialogue-based task allocation on system performance in a computer-aided air traffic control task

The present study investigated dialogue-based human-computer task allocation. Five levels of allocation mode, four command strategies and a control condition, were examined in a high-task-load situation using a Latin square design. Five male participants acted as controllers in a simplified representation of an air traffic control system, sharing their task with a computer controller. Performance measures were metered on-line, and subjective ratings were recorded between trials. There were significant differences among the groups in the percentage of planes landed by the human-computer system, the total number of commands executed, and the number of allocation commands used. Other variables suggested for further study include comparisons of input mode, dialogue-initiation style, and degraded performance levels of the computer controller.