EFFECT OF TYPE OF TASK AND NUMBER OF INSPECTORS ON PERFORMANCE OF AN INDUSTRIAL INSPECTION-TYPE TASK

Two hundred forty subjects working alone and in pairs performed three different versions of a task similar to industrial inspection: a ratin g task and spatial and temporal two-alternative forced-choice (2AFC) t asks. Performance was worse on the rating task than on the 2AFC tasks, and the spatial and temporal 2AFC tasks were performed equally well. These results could signify that performance is impaired more by deman ds made on long-term memory than by demands made on perception and sen sory memory, or that asking subjects to compare items is fundamentally different from, and easier than, asking subjects to judge items in ab solute terms. Individual differences in performance were marked, but p erformance was inconsistent across different versions of the inspectio n task. When subjects worked in pairs, performance was comparable to t hat obtained by requiring items to pass two inspections by individual subjects. However, a single inspection by subject pairs required less time than two inspections by individual subjects. The practical implic ations of these findings are discussed.