Elasticity and rigidity constructs and ratings of subjective workload for individuals and groups

Abstract

Differences in workload inherent in a task have indirect and nonlinear relationships to performance differences because of coping strategies that people can deploy. Thus subjective ratings of workload have become commonplace for evaluating task workload. It has become apparent, however, that those ratings are affected by individual differences in personality and cognitive traits that correspond to a general theme of elasticity versus rigidity. Additionally, workload can originate from both the task and group dynamics when team work is involved. This study explored the relationship among 11 such constructs related to anxiety, coping, and fluid intelligence and ratings of individual and group workload. Participants were 360 undergraduates organized into 44 groups of different sizes who engaged in an emergency response (ER) simulation against one or two opponents. Regression analyses indicated that task conditions accounted for 7-10% of variance in individual workload ratings, and elasticity accounted for another 1-2% of the variance. Task conditions accounted for 2-4% of the variance in group-level workload ratings, and elasticity accounted for another 2-4%. Results support the continued investigation of elasticity-rigidity in the understanding of workload arising from the task and group dynamics.