Impact of Interrupting Simulated Hydraulic Excavator Training with Simulated Loader Training

• Published in: Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting 2012-09, Vol.56 (1), p.2482-2486
• Main Authors: So, Joey C. Y., Proctor, Robert W., Dunston, Phillip S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1541-9312; 1071-1813; 2169-5067
• DOI: 10.1177/1071181312561505

A skilled operator of construction equipment needs to become proficient in the use and control of various classes or types of machines. It is thus important to establish effective training methods across these machine types and to determine the extent to which skills operating one machine transfer to another. An issue of concern is whether learning to operate a single piece of equipment is best if all practice is on that equipment, or whether intermixed training on a related piece of equipment can be of value (or possibly a hindrance). In the present study, naïve participants practiced performing a controls familiarization task on a simulated hydraulic excavator in an initial session. In a second session, one-third of the participants were trained on a simulated loader, another third continued practicing on the simulated excavator, and the final third engaged in an unrelated reading task. For a final session, all participants again performed the controls familiarization task on the excavator. Execution time, number of control errors, and ratings of mental workload decreased with practice. The intervening reading task led to more control errors in the third session, but training on the loader had no effect on any performance measure. Learning to operate a loader apparently does not interfere with learning to operate an excavator.