Performance variability as an indicator of fatigue and boredom effects in a VDT data-entry task

This study evaluated the utility of performance variability as an indicator of fatigue and boredom effects in a computer-based data-entry task. Twenty-four data transcribers entered numeric data from tax forms at a video-display terminal (VDT) for 3 consecutive workdays under one of the following work management conditions: Electronic Performance Monitoring (EPM) or No Electronic Performance (No EPM). Self-ratings of fatigue and boredom were assessed at periodic intervals. The speed (keystrokes) and the accuracy (errors) of task performance were recorded on a continuous basis. Irrespective of the type of work management condition, there was an increase in fatigue and boredom from the morning to afternoon work sessions. Correspondingly, there was an increase in the variability of speed performance from the morning to afternoon work sessions for both the EPM and No EPM conditions. Trend analyses revealed a correspondence of the linear increase in fatigue and boredom with the linear increase in speed variability across the afternoon work periods under the No EPM condition. The findings of this study suggest that performance variability may be an objective indicator of fatigue and boredom effects in repetitive computer tasks.