Can pilots time-share better than non-pilots?

Abstract

The time-sharing ability of 12 male pilots and 12 male college students ranging in age from 18-36 are evaluated and compared. The subjects performed five pairs of dual tasks with varying degrees of structural similarity; the test procedures are described. The time-sharing efficiency and resource allocation optimality of the subjects are analyzed. The data reveal that the pilots and students display similar time-sharing performance; the degree of time-sharing efficiency decreases and resource allocation optimality increases with an increasing degree of structural similarity between the time-shared tasks.