THE COORDINATION OF COMPENSATORY TRACKING AND ANTICIPATORY TIMING TASKS

Two experiments investigated the presence of a coordination factor in a task consisting of compensatory tracking and anticipatory timing com ponents. The task (Intercept task) resembles a computer game in which a rocket must be aimed and fired to shoot an incoming missile. The stu dies were designed to determine if a coordinating ability exists above and beyond the abilities needed to perform the component tasks alone. We also investigated the nature of coordination abilities through cor relations with other types of coordination tasks and measures of intel ligence. Is coordination a general cognitive ability that contributes to performance in a wide range of coordination tasks, or is coordinati on ability task specific? Multiple regression analyses indicated the e xistence of a coordination ability in the Intercept task. This coordin ation ability, however, was shown to be unrelated to the coordination of visual and linguistic processing and to psychometric measures of in telligence as assessed by the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Batte ry (ASVAB). Coordination of visual and linguistic,processing correlate d with a component of the ASVAB measuring perceptual speed. We conclud e that, although the ability to integrate separate components of a com plex task draws on a coordination ability, this ability is domain spec ific and thus varies depending on the nature of the component tasks.