Critical SWAT Values for Predicting Operator Overload

The Subjective Workload Assessment Technique (SWAT) has been used to assess mental workload in a variety of situations. As with subjective techniques generally, use of SWAT has emphasized relative comparisons of task conditions. For example, it has been possible to determine if one task or display required a greater mental worklaod than another. For many applications, however, it would be useful to have identified a critical SWAT level that indicates likely performance degradation caused by operator overload. A review of previously completed studies suggests a range of SWAT scores that were predictive of operator overload.