title: Supporting attention allocation in multitask environments: effects of likelihood alarm systems on trust, behavior, and performance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the current study was to investigate potential benefits of likelihood alarm systems (LASs) over binary alarm systems (BASs) in a multitask environment.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Several problems are associated with the use of BASs, because most of them generate high numbers of false alarms. Operators lose trust in the systems and ignore alarms or cross-check all of them when other information is available. The first behavior harms safety, whereas the latter one reduces productivity. LASs represent an alternative, which is supposed to improve operators' attention allocation.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated LASs and BASs in a dual-task paradigm with and without the possibility to cross-check alerts with raw data information. Participants' trust in the system, their behavior, and their performance in the alert and the concurrent task were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Reported trust, compliance with alarms, and performance in the alert and the concurrent task were higher for the LAS than for the BAS. The cross-check option led to an increase in alert task performance for both systems and a decrease in concurrent task performance for the BAS, which did not occur in the LAS condition.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  LASs improve participants' attention allocation between two different tasks and therefore lead to an increase in alert task and concurrent task performance. The performance maximum is achieved when LAS is combined with a cross-check option for validating alerts with additional information.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of LASs instead of BASs in safety-related multitask environments has the potential to increase safety and productivity likewise.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wiczorek
authors.forename: Dietrich
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Manzey
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D003657:Decision Making; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017603:Signal Detection, Psychological; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D035502:Trust; D055815:Young Adult