Effects of Visual, Auditory, and Tactile Alerts on Platoon Leader Performance and Decision Making

The U.S. Army Future Combat System (FCS) proposes the use of advanced communications and technologies that will provide Soldiers with instant access to large amounts of information. Conveying information in a manner that enhances a Soldier's ability to manage the information and, in turn, increases his or her situational awareness is problematic, especially when one considers the high operational tempo, uncertainty, and stress of combat. Past research suggests that multi-sensory information display may be an effective technique for enhancing the information management and situational understanding of Soldiers. A study was conducted to examine the effects of multi-sensory alerts on platoon leader decision making and performance. Twelve platoon leaders completed three simulated missions. During each mission, participants received tactical communications and monitored activity on their displays. Tactical communications were accomplished via digital messaging and voice commands. Some of the digital messages were preceded by a visual, auditory, or tactile alert. Time to respond to each of the digital messages was measured. The results indicate that when a platoon leader is engaged in visually demanding tasks such as scanning displays, response time can be as much as 54% slower for a visual alert. Subjective data indicated that participants thought the visual alerts were not as effective or helpful as auditory or tactile alerts. Applications of this research include the development of display design guidelines that will transition to FCS equipment developers. Project No. 62716AH70. The original document contains color images.