Cognitive workload as a predictor of student pilot performance

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between cognitive task load and performance in pilot training in a civilian pilot training program. It was found that the NASA task load index was indicative of training success, with the most successful pilot trainees showing the most cognitive task load and vice versa for those performing poorly. The implications for this finding are discussed as is their relation to possible advantages to military pilot trainees over their civilian counterparts. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.