Pacing, Product Complexity, and Task Perception in Simulated Inspection

This investigation examined potential performance or motivational differences between self-paced and machine-paced inspection tasks, and measured subject perceptions of inspection tasks. Twenty women served as inspectors in the investigation. Subjects in both self-paced and machine-paced conditions inspected simulated printed circuits varying in circuit complexity. Performance measures of defect detection rate, false alarm rate, and time required for decision were recorded. Self-paced subjects performed better, but both groups suffered performance decrements on the more complex circuits. Both groups found the task basically dull and uninteresting.